The Chicago Bears Situation Is Just Getting Weirder
Josh Frey
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The Chicago Bears are one of two teams in the NFL sitting at 0-4 through four weeks. They have not won a game since October 24th, 2022, the longest drought in the NFL.
Prior to Week 3, things got weird in Chicago when Justin Fields called out his coaches for poor performances to begin the year, and then, the Bears also let go of their defensive coordinator Alan Williams.
However, the situation in Chicago is only getting weirder. A day after their meltdown loss against the Denver Broncos –in which they blew a 28-7 lead in the second half — head coach Matt Eberflus made it clear that WR Chase Claypool would not be in the building for practice ahead of a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Washington Commanders.
Another Turn in the Chicago Bears Saga
“He is not going to be in the building this particular week on this short week. I can give you that,” Eberflus told ESPN radio. Claypool was also inactive in Week 4 and was not present on the Bears sideline. Eberflus initially said it was the receiver’s choice not to be there, but reports began surfacing after the game that he was told not to attend.
Regardless, the Claypool experiment has not gone well for the Bears. Last season, they sent a 2023 second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire the receiver, and that pick ended up being the 32nd overall selection in the draft after Chicago finished with the worst record in the league. That pick turned into CB Joey Porter Jr.
In 10 games with the Bears since the trade, Claypool has caught just 18 passes for 191 yards and a single touchdown. This is a far-cry from his rookie season of 2020 where the receiver burst onto the NFL scene with 62 catches for 873 yards and 9 TDs.
Now, the receiver is not even with the team less than a year after being acquired via trade and could be on the trade market once again prior to the Halloween deadline if he isn’t just cut by the Bears in the coming weeks.
The Bears and Vikings are set to meet at Soldier Field in Week 6.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.