Former Chicago Bears star cornerback Charles Tillman offered his opinion on the Chase Claypool saga that surfaced this week. According to Marc Silverman on Waddle and Silvy, multiple sources in Halas Hall have made negative comments about the wide receiver the front office traded the 32nd pick for last season.
One of the criticisms Silverman mentioned is that the Bears don’t see Claypool as a self-motivated individual. That seems hard to believe of any NFL athlete, especially one that was ranked the 48th best wide receiver and 171 best athlete in his recruiting class. Claypool was drafted with the 49th overall pick in the 2020 draft. However, Tillman, a former second-round pick himself, seems to believe the report is credible.
Charles Tillman comments on the Chicago Bears/Chase Claypool report
Tillman responded on his Twitter account to the report that Claypool isn’t motivated. He seems to think playing for the Bears should be enough motivation:
Who needs motivation? You play in the @NFL for the @ChicagoBears 🤷🏿♂️🤯 https://t.co/9jOHgJdBBW
— Charles Tillman (@peanuttillman) June 17, 2023
Tillman is right; that should be enough motivation for Claypool. I’d like to hear more from Tillman or the Bears on this subject. Tillman should have more insider knowledge of how the Bears feel about Claypool than Silverman. He’s close with the Bears coaching staff.
Head coach Matt Eberflus brought in Tillman to talk to Bears rookies before their first minicamp this season and last. Ironically, this season Tillman spoke to the rookies about seeking constructive criticism.
Luke Getsy offered another message on Chase Claypool this offseason
The report by Silverman caught me and other Bears fans off guard because it flies directly in the face of what offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert said during OTAs.
According to Josh Schrock of NBC Sports, Tolbert said Claypool had watched videotape on his own and has been in the building “extra,” even when the Bears don’t require Claypool to be there. Getsy said Claypool is in a much better place this offseason:
“I think comfortability within the building, whether that’s being around the head coach, being around us on the offensive staff, his teammates,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said Wednesday when asked where he sees a difference in Claypool. “And then, most importantly, Justin. I think that relationship is always the most important — the quarterback/receiver relationship. I think all that’s improving. As far as his knowledge of what’s going on around him, that’s improving. Because we demand a lot of that position, as we’ve talked about here plenty of times. That’s a big part of what we do with that role. It’s been good to see him be able to take a step there.
“To say where he is now, obviously, he’s definitely in a much better place. That’s what’s most important. Like coach Flus and those guys have said, I think that his positivity, his optimism coming into this thing, and his attack and his approach to how he’s trying to learn this thing is really cool to see.”
The Bears coaching staff is openly saying that Claypool is showing “extra” motivation this offseason. He missed mandatory minicamp due to a soft tissue injury but was still working with the training staff last week. Eberflus suggested Claypool working with the training staff this week was a “luxury” due to the timeline of this being in the less serious nature of OTA practices and training camp starting next month.
Claypool didn’t have a hot start to his career with the Bears after the trade. I think there’s a lot of negativity surrounding his name because of that. But I think the jury should be out on Claypool until training camp and the regular season. If the Bears aren’t motivation enough, the contract next offseason will be.
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