The Chicago Bears were hoping to take at least one step forward this season after they went 3-14 in 2022, which was the NFL’s worst record.
Their 2023 campaign is off to a poor start after they lost, 38-20, to their bitter NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers.
Losses are inevitable and perhaps even acceptable for a Bears team that doesn’t have a lot of talent and has a quarterback in Justin Fields who still has a lot to prove.
But a lack of effort is totally unacceptable.
On Twitter, Dov Kleiman posted a video of Chicago wide receiver Chase Claypool apparently loafing through the loss to Green Bay, and not surprisingly, Claypool had zero catches.
#Bears WR Chase Claypool was “sleep walking” throughout the #Packers game, here’s a video showing his total lack of effort via @mikerenner_pic.twitter.com/SFD1UE4fQhhttps://t.co/hUM53ksP4v
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 11, 2023
Perhaps a very talented team could get away with a temporary lack of effort from someone such as Claypool, but an underdog squad such as the Bears cannot, especially in a blue-collar city such as Chicago.
Kleiman tweeted earlier this summer that the Bears weren’t happy with Claypool’s effort during the offseason.
Report: The #Bears reportedly aren’t happy with WR Chase Claypool’s effort this offseason, per @WaddleandSilvy
“I have heard from a few people inside that building that he is not somebody who is very self-motivated,”
More here:https://t.co/DT6AgZUOgU pic.twitter.com/4QAUwpiW40
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) June 16, 2023
Claypool was a second-round draft pick in 2020 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and as a rookie, he showed some glimpses of star potential.
He had 873 yards and nine touchdowns that year, and he was traded to Chicago midway through last season.
In seven games with Chicago last year, he only managed 14 receptions for 140 yards and zero touchdowns while posting a dismal 48.3 percent catch rate.
The NFC may not be that deep, but if the Bears are to have any shot at making the playoffs, they will need everyone on the roster to scratch and claw as much as they can.
