Chicago Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool didn’t produce as much as the franchise undoubtedly expected when they sent a second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire him in a trade.
Claypool had an injury-marred 2022 season in which he caught 14 passes in seven games. However, with Claypool in the last year of his rookie deal, he admits this season is the “biggest year of my life” as he looks to become a focal point in the Bears’ offense, which eluded him in his last year in Pittsburgh.
“The problems last season were that the Steelers shifted him to a suboptimal role at slot receiver, and then it was difficult for him to grasp the Bears’ offense on the fly. Between the two, he had career lows in catches (46), yards (451) and touchdowns (one),” wrote Jason Lieser of The Chicago Sun-Times.
Claypool admits that he wants to prove the Steelers wrong for that decision.
‘”Anytime you don’t meet your goals, you’re gonna be more motivated to overachieve the next year,” he told the Sun-Times. “I just refined my process. I figured out what worked, what didn’t work.
“You want to prove everyone [in the building] right. You also want to prove everyone [outside] wrong. That’s my thing.”
If Claypool regains the form that made him a high draft pick in the first place, then the Bears will look wise in making the move for him. If not, Claypool could be on his third team by next season.
