Chase Claypool at risk of getting benched vs. Buccaneers
The Chicago Bears are in desperate need to make some changes after Week 1's loss, and one might have already been decided. Wide receiver Chase Claypool is in danger of potentially losing his job after his subpar performance against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. While speaking to reporters before practice on Wednesday, Bears head […]
The Chicago Bears are in desperate need to make some changes after Week 1's loss, and one might have already been decided.
Wide receiver Chase Claypool is in danger of potentially losing his job after his subpar performance against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
While speaking to reporters before practice on Wednesday, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said the team is looking at all possibilities regarding whether or not the fourth-year wide receiver will be listed as inactive for Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"I'm not going to talk about who's going to be up and down for the game right now," Eberflus said. "As for obvious reasons, but we're looking at all things to make our team better with who's going to be up and who's gonna be down in terms of the active roster."
Claypool played in 78% of the offensive snaps for the Bears on Sunday, according to Pro Football Reference, but did not have a single reception on two total targets. To make things even worse for the 25-year-old, he struggled all game with his blocking effort in the run game and after the catch.
The Bears traded the 32nd overall pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers back in November in exchange for the former second-round pick. This type of effort in Week 1 is certainly not what the Bears expected when they made the deal.
The favorite in the Bears locker room to take over Claypool's position on the active roster and in the starting lineup has to be Equanimeous St. Brown. The Bears veteran receiver was surprisingly listed as a healthy inactive on Sunday, a move which clearly rubbed the wrong way for quarterback Justin Fields.
“[St. Brown's] a great run-blocker," Fields said. "He knows the playbook like the back of his hand, great perimeter blocker. He’s a leader in the WR room. But on him being inactive I don’t make those calls.”
St. Brown joined the Bears last season after playing for three years in Green Bay. During his lone season in Chicago, St. Brown had 21 receptions for 323 yards and one touchdown while boosting the overall run game as an additional blocker.
His absence from the roster in Week 1 was a shock for many Bears fan, but if the team's quarterback has anything to say, that should change this weekend.
Bears are ‘all on deck to improve’ after disappointing loss
Changes will need to be made this week.
Featured image via: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
