Bears Done With Former Steelers WR Chase Claypool

The Bears are looking to trade former Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool, according to Jordan Schultz. Claypool is inactive for the Bears game against the Broncos on Sunday after they benched him, and now, they are looking to trade him. Schultz says that the Bears would accept a fifth or sixth-round pick for Claypool at this point.

The team benched Claypool due to several factors, but in particular, the receiver is not meeting an NFL player’s daily preparation and routine. That benching comes on the heels of Claypool saying publicly to the media that the Bears do not fully utilize him. In his place, Equanimous St. Brown will play instead, with Darnell Mooney and D.J. Moore still as the starters. Velus Jones and Tyler Scott should see more playing time as a result.

Chase Claypool has struggled mightly since Chicago sent the pick that became the No. 32 overall selection in the 2023 NFL draft to Pittsburgh in exchange for him. He played in seven games while dealing with an injury in 2022, making 14 catches for 140 yards. This season, he has just four catches in his first three games. There has been criticism from both coaches and teammates about his effort level on blocking downs, and now Claypool is saying that he’s not being appropriately used in the Chicago offense.

The Steelers’ second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame, Claypool was electric in his rookie season when he caught 62 passes for 873 yards and nine touchdowns. But he was never able to recapture that level of success.

In 2021, he caught 59 passes for 860 yards and two scores. In 2022, a move to the slot position did not sit well with Claypool, and he was traded mid-season to the Bears. The Steelers used the No. 32 overall pick in the trade to draft Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr.