Bears HC breathes belief into one Bears player under immense pressure in 2023
Chase Claypool enters the 2023 season as one of the players with the most to prove on the Chicago Bears’ roster. There was a time in his stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers where his rise to an All-Pro caliber wide receiver felt inevitable. Traded to the Bears for a second-round pick in the middle of […]
Chase Claypool enters the 2023 season as one of the players with the most to prove on the Chicago Bears’ roster.
There was a time in his stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers where his rise to an All-Pro caliber wide receiver felt inevitable. Traded to the Bears for a second-round pick in the middle of the 2022 season, Claypool struggled to produce in Chicago’s offense.
Entering his fourth season in the league, and first full season with the Bears, there’s reason to believe that Claypool can return to the form Steelers fans had appreciated in his first two years in the Steel City.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is one of the people that shares that belief. On Tuesday at Bears OTAs, Eberflus spoke confidently on Claypool’s ability to hit the ground running ahead of the 2023 season.
“I do because this is the second time going around. He knows the formations and the motions and knows the route disciplines,” Eberflus told reporters. “He's learning that as we go and you can certainly see him get more comfortable with Justin [Fields] too.”
It isn't just Eberflus, either. Fields expressed his confidence in Claypool on Tuesday as well.
"Chase has improved tremendously from the end of last year to now," Fields said.
At six-foot-four and nearly 240 pounds Claypool is the perfect downfield threat for Fields. The addition of D.J. Moore also stands to free up Claypool to make plays on the opposite side of the field. It’s a pivotal year in Claypool’s career, but Eberflus seems to trust the Notre Dame product who will be key in transforming Chicago’s passing attack.
