Life comes at you fast in the NFL, and it surely has for Chicago Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool. Claypool was once a young, exciting draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Notre Dame. Now fast forward to 2023, and his immediate future is in serious doubt.
While his career has not reached the expectations many have had for him so far, Claypool has always been a fixture on the active roster on Sundays. Well, in Week 4, that may be changing. Let’s take a closer look at Claypool and his situation for this week and maybe beyond.
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Is Chase Claypool Playing Today?
Sources say that Claypool will be inactive in Week 4 against the Denver Broncos, the first game he will miss this season. This comes on the heels of his less-than-supportive comments to the media this past week in which he wondered if he’s being put in the best position to succeed by the Bears coaching staff.
Well, it looks like Chicago’s coaching staff has a comment of their own — one that sees Claypool not in this week’s plans.
It’s a far fall from grace for the former second-round draft pick and serves as a stark reminder that the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” business that does not care how you got there, just what are you doing while there.
What Happened to Claypool?
At one point early in Claypool’s career, he was looked at as a young up-and-coming talent in the league, one that was surely set to be amongst the league’s better pass catchers. That plan didn’t come to fruition for the wideout, and as his time in Pittsburgh grew, so did the tension between the player and the organization.
While most of the issues were a dull roar, comparably speaking, the feeling around the situation was no longer one of excitement and hopefulness, leading to a situation where Claypool would be traded to the Bears. The trade was hoped to be a fresh start for Claypool, but it simply has not panned out that way for him and has really served as more of the same.
Claypool has been with the Bears for 11 games now, and during that time, he has tallied only 18 receptions for 191 yards and one touchdown. The production hasn’t matched the talent, and one could wonder if it is a team problem or a player problem.
MORE: Chicago Bears Depth Chart 2023
Either way, Claypool will not add to the total this week, and his future with the team looks, at the very least, murky at best.