Chase Claypool says Bears will be a ‘fun team to watch’ in 2023

Chicago Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool hasn’t had the best offseason. At least, that’s the narrative NFL fans are being fed.

Claypool missed the last few rounds of OTA sessions and the Bears’ mandatory minicamp with what Coach Matt Eberflus described as a nagging soft-tissue injury. A photo of Claypool as a model at a fashion event in Paris shortly after minicamp concluded didn’t help his cause all that much.

But if you’ve been paying attention to what the people who matter have been saying about him (namely Justin Fields and Bears coaches), it’s all been the same: Claypool is lightyears ahead of where he was in 2022 when he was working to fit into Chicago’s offense after GM Ryan Poles traded for him at the trade deadline.

With an entire offseason under his belt — even if it’s been hampered by injury — Claypool is ready to be the playmaker Poles and the Bears envisioned when they traded what turned out to be the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft for his services.

“I truly believe that this year from last year will be a night and day difference,” Claypool told talkSPORT2 in the United Kingdom. “Fans will be loving next year. I’m excited. Obviously, with the additions we had in the offseason, but also being able to stack that knowledge from last season, all those learning and those growth spurts that we had to go through, I think it’s going to be great.”

Claypool played 10 games with the Chicago Bears last season and totaled just 14 catches for 140 yards. No touchdowns, no big plays, no impact.

As a result, some Bears fans have already given up on him as a possible difference-maker in 2023.

However, all hope for Claypool to have a bounce-back year isn’t lost. Justin Fields remains optimistic.

“Chase has improved tremendously from the end of last year to now,” Fields said during offseason workouts. “That’s one thing I’m truly proud to say, seeing his work ethic, his attitude change. You can just see he’s taking another step, so definitely excited for that.”

Claypool’s time as the Chicago Bears’ presumed WR1 didn’t last long. DJ Moore became that guy when the Bears traded the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers. Claypool can now settle into a more fitting WR2 role. In fact, he could end up being one of the most dynamic WR2s in the NFL in 2023.

Moore and Claypool will be joined by Darnell Mooney, Tyler Scott, Cole Kmet, and Robert Tonyan as weapons in a revamped Bears’ passing attack, which Chase Claypool says will be fun to watch this year.

“It’s an exciting and dynamic team,” Claypool said. “Offense is going to be explosive. Defense is going to be playmakers. I think we are going to be a fun team to watch and we’re not going to back down from anybody.”