Bears WR Chase Claypool will remain away from team in Week 5, Eberflus says
To say that Chase Claypool's time in Chicago has been a disappointment would be an understatement. And it sounds like his time there could soon come to an end. A day after the Bears made the former second-round pick inactive following prior comments he made criticizing the team, head coach Matt Eberflus told ESPN 1000 that Claypool will remain away from the club this week as they prepare for the Commanders on Thursday night.
"He is not going to be in the building this particular week on this short week. I can give you that," Eberflus said Monday.
Eberflus also seemed to allude to the possibility of Claypool not being on the roster, saying: "Ryan [Poles] makes all transactions and does all things of that nature and we'll see where it goes from there."
Claypool, who was traded from Pittsburgh to Chicago (in exchange for the 32nd overall pick) prior to last year's deadline, voiced his frustration when asked last week if the Bears are best utilizing his talents.
"No," Claypool said after a seven-second pause, via ESPN.
Claypool did not, however, agree with a reporter's follow-up question that his situation with the Bears hasn't been ideal.
"No, I wouldn't say that," Claypool said. "I think every situation has the ability to be ideal and I think we're just working towards that. I'm not going to say that. I wouldn't say it's not an ideal place for me. Obviously there's other places -- you can say, 'Oh, I want to be on the best offense with the highest passing yards' but that doesn't happen in football. You just have to make due with what you got."
Claypool's production has be on a steady decline since his productive rookie season with the Steelers. The former second-round pick has caught just 18 passes in 14 games with the Bears. Along with his lack of production, Claypool's apparent lack of hustle at times has added to the criticism of him and the Bears for giving up a 32nd overall pick in April's draft to acquire the former Notre Dame standout.
This saga is the latest chapter in what has been a turbulent first month of a season for Chicago. On top of Claypool, the club blew a 21-point lead on Sunday at the heads of the Broncos to drop to 0-4. They'll look for their first win of the year when they visit the Commanders on Thursday without Claypool on hand.
With it seeming like Claypool's days in Chicago are numbered, let's take a look at a few landing spots for the wideout.
