The Chicago Bears were embarrassed by the Green Bay Packers, 38-20, in the 2023 season opener. There was plenty of blame and concern to go around, but wide receiver Chase Claypool was a big talking point.
Claypool didn’t look like he wanted to be on the field Sunday, where he lacked effort with his blocking, route running and overall performance. He was targeted twice and had zero catches. It was the kind of performance that should’ve required a sit-down with the head coach, and that’s exactly what happened.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters that he met with Claypool after Sunday’s game about his effort blocking on the perimeter, which contributed to some unsuccessful screen plays.
“You all saw the plays that … and again, the perimeter blocking needed to improve for all of us,” Eberflus said. “And we’re gonna get that, work hard to get that done.”
Eberflus hopes Claypool can turn things around in Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it doesn’t sound like it’s a guarantee he’ll play. Eberflus was asked about the possibility of Claypool being inactive for Sunday’s game against the Bucs, and he didn’t exactly rule it out.
“We’re looking at all possibilities right now,” Eberflus said. “I’m not going to talk about who’s going to be up or down for the game right now, for obvious reasons. We’re looking at all things to make our team better — Who’s going to be up and who’s going to be down in terms of the active roster.”