There’s no doubt Pittsburgh has a bunch of problems right now. But no one has it worse than the Chicago Bears. One of the most dysfunctional teams in football on and off the field and blowing their first true chance to win a game this past weekend, no one in that building looks likely to stick around. WR Chase Claypool could be the first name to officially exit, though he basically already has.
Told to stay home and away from the team for the past week, the Bears are reportedly trying to trade Claypool. But according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the most likely outcome is that the team simply cuts him. In an ESPN Insider article, Fowler spoke with NFL teams that think simply dumping him is more likely than dealing him.
“I’ve spoken to multiple NFL execs who believe the Bears will end up releasing wide receiver Chase Claypool. “That’s where I think it’s trending,” one exec said. Perhaps the Bears can salvage a late-round pick from a contender via trade, but his locker room presence will be a strong consideration for any prospective team after the player has outstayed his welcome in Pittsburgh and Chicago.”
After criticizing the coaching staff for, in Claypool’s view, not using him correctly, the team made him inactive for last Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos. Chicago looked poised to win its first game since trading for Claypool but blew a 28-7 third quarter lead, falling 31-28 to drop to 0-4 on the season. Head coach Matt Eberflus and GM Ryan Poles are on the hot seat and are on track to be fired by the end of the season. Poles made the move to trade for Claypool last November, sending the Steelers a second-round pick that turned into the 32nd overall selection and got CB Joey Porter Jr., off to a good start to his career.
Officially ruled out for tomorrow’s game against the Washington Commanders, Claypool figures to never play again for the Bears. The question is if the Bears can pawn him off on another team for a late-round pick. But with a total lack of production the last 12 months and a clearly miserable attitude, it’s hard to see any team wanting him on their 53-man roster, let alone trading for him to do it.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Bears cut ties with Claypool in the near future. Perhaps they do it as a Friday news dump later this week after their Thursday game against the Commanders, hoping the Week Five news cycle washes the story away. There’s only so long they can hold onto the guy and effectively be working with a 52-man roster.
