NEWSLETTER
One of Luke Getsy’s goals for this offseason should be figuring out how to best use Chase Claypool next season.
Claypool came to Chicago in a trade deadline deal with Pittsburgh that came with great fanfare. A 2020 second-round pick, Claypool was a high-profile prospect out of Notre Dame who had some quality years with the Steelers. We’d seen Claypool play well on some big stages, only to watch him ride the struggle bus in Chicago. Claypool’s own injury issues, an inability to fully absorb the playbook after an in-season trade, and Justin Fields’ season being cut short due to injury contributed to the receiver falling short of living up to high expectations.
But here’s the thing: Chicago’s offensive coordinator isn’t ready to give up on him just yet. And while the answers aren’t in place right now, Getsy has time to work on finding them before the start of training camp. For what it’s worth, it sounds like he is committed to doing so.
Via The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain:
“I don’t think we have that figured out just yet, but I see him getting a lot of opportunities,” Getsy said. “He’s someone that we need to play at a really high level, and he’s capable of that. He’s done that in the past. We’ve got to get the most out of him, and he wants that, too. The best thing is that he kind of got his feet wet in Chicago, he knows what we’re doing now, so we can get into the offseason and just kinda take off.”
I love this commentary from Getsy. Firstly, Getsy saying he sees Claypool getting “a lot of opportunities” is a very public show of support. I imagine it is something Claypool appreciates after the season he had in Chicago. Additionally, Getsy underscoring that Claypool is someone the Bears need to play at a high level is a challenge. This is coaching/teaching 101. Build ’em up, give ’em confidence, and then tell ’em you expect more. Maybe this is just me speaking from a place of experience, but my best comes after someone pays me compliments and then follows up by challenging me to do more. It seems like this is the approach Getsy is going for — and I’m here for it.
After trading what turned out to be the first pick of the second round in the upcoming NFL Draft to Pittsburgh in exchange for Chase Claypool, there is going to be additional pressure on the rising fourth-year receiver. But rather than give up on him, Getsy seems to be positioning himself to try to get the most out of Claypool. And I’m interested to see what that looks like in 2023. Does that mean a higher volume of targets? That could be helpful. However, I’m not sure Fields should be force-feeding Claypool. Then again, he was his most productive in that Jets game when Trevor Siemian was targeting Claypool with a high volume of throws. So perhaps there is merit to the solution to unlocking Claypool’s upside being more throws going in that direction. Although, that wouldn’t be my preference.
Not because I don’t believe in Claypool’s skill set. But instead, because I’m not sure that is the best way to go about building an offense. Then again, different strokes for different folks. And I’m open to any path that results in the Bears becoming one of football’s best offenses. In the end, one of Getsy should prioritize getting the most out of Clayppool. And in turn, Claypool should be wanting to get the most out of this season. He is a free agent after the 2023 season, after all. A big showing in a contract year could pay dividends in a multitude of ways for the Bears and Claypool.
