NEWSLETTER
An already iffy Bears passing attack now has a new hurdle to clear with wide receiver Chase Claypool already being ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Eagles.
Friday’s injury report just dropped and it is the bearer of bad news:
Claypool, more or less, has been a non-factor since joining the Bears at the trade deadline. The Notre Dame product has just 12 catches for 111 yards in the receiving column. He has yet to find his way into the end zone. More than that, Claypool has been struggling to fully pick up the offense. In fairness, you can count the number of receivers who switched teams and thrived after in-season trades on one hand. But that doesn’t mean Claypool’s early run with the Bears isn’t still a disappointment. And this injury issue complicates things.
If there is any consolation, perhaps it is in that Claypool can use the downtime in not having practiced this week to bone up on the playbook. It isn’t like Claypool isn’t working hard at his craft. But we shouldn’t be shocked that an offense that took Justin Fields and others months to get a full grasp on is something giving the new guy problems. In the end, the most important thing here might be that Claypool gets back to full strength sooner (rather than later).
In one piece of good news, at least Fields has no game-day designation after an illness kept him out of practice on Wednesday. No shoulder issues and nothing on the illness front means Fields should be a full go on Sunday. Giddy up.
