Last Sunday, Chase Claypool played just his eighth game with the Chicago Bears since arriving via trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022. A fresh start to the season meant a chance to emerge as one of Justin Fields’ top targets in a passing offense that desperately needs playmakers.
Only the Bears didn’t get that type of performance out of Claypool. Instead, he drew a great amount of criticism for putting forth a lackluster effort in Week 1’s 38-20 loss to Green Bay.
Here’s a clip showing an example of some of the issues the Bears have seen with Claypool, and keep in mind these are just from Week 1.
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But it’s not just internet scouts who have noticed Claypool going through the motions instead of going 100% at all times. The Bears are well aware of Claypool’s lack of effort, and according to Jay Glazer, the organization has issued a bit of a threat to their starting receiver.
According to Glazer, Claypool has been told that if he has another game with lackluster effort, he’ll be inactive on game days, and “possibly even shipped out of town again.”
Keep in mind, the Bears just acquired Claypool last November, parting with what ended up being the 32nd overall pick (Joey Porter Jr.) in the 2023 NFL Draft for the talented but struggling receiver.
Claypool had just 140 receiving yards and zero touchdowns in three starts across seven appearances for the Bears last season. He was held catchless after being targeted twice in Chicago’s season opener.