Chase Claypool will suit up in Week 2 according to reports.
In lieu of this week’s speculation surrounding the availability of WR Chase Claypool, Bears receivers coach Tyke Tolbert has stated that the team plans for him to play this Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to Bears reporter Patrick Finley.
#Bears WR coach Tyke Tolbert is planning for Chase Claypool to play Sunday. He's taken all his regular snaps, has been the first WR in meetings and has hustled more than any other receiver in practice this week, he said.
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) September 14, 2023
Claypool’s status this week has been relatively up in the air surrounding the Canadian receiver’s lackluster effort against Green Bay in the passing game and in blocking coverage. Many fans and reporters had wondered if Claypool would be a healthy scratch versus the Bucs, but it appears his effort in practice and in team meetings has proven enough for the staff to trust him on Sunday.
Head coach Matt Eberflus spoke about the importance of Claypool’s perimeter blocking in the Bears’ offensive scheme, saying:
“I would just say everything comes down to technique. It’s about technique, and it’s really about, when you’re blocking the perimeter like that, you have to have good technique. He’s displayed good technique in practice on that. That’s why we had him in those positions. But perimeter blocking’s all about technique. It’s all about your angles. Your intensity, for sure. It’s always about that. It doesn’t matter if you’re push-cracking on a linebacker or cracking down on somebody inside. That’s what it’s always about.”
Doing his best SpongeBob impression, Eberflus is showing he is a stickler for technique.
Based on Eberflus’s comments, it seems that Claypool’s effort in practice will not be enough to guarantee playing time every week, and that he must have end product on the field to become a mainstay in the Bears offense.
If the Chase Claypool experiment fails after several weeks, many questions will be asked about the decision to trade prime draft capital to acquire the ex-Steelers receiver, and about the competency of the front office and coaching staff’s player development ability.
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