Ex Steelers' Receiver Chase Claypool Expects A Big Year For Bears "Fans Will Be Loving"

A once promising young receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chase Claypool, is in the news again. This time it is not for modeling overseas in London or being called out for his work ethic by his coaches. It is because he expects some big changes to be made in his Chicago Bears' offense. The Steelers' 2020 second-round pick recently did an interview on his trip to the United Kingdom where he discussed his expectations for the Bears' offense and the difference fans will see compared to 2022. 

Chase Claypool's Steelers Career

Claypool had a promising start to his career in Pittsburgh after being drafted by the organization in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. He had an impressive rookie year totaling 62 receptions, 873 receiving yards, nine receiving touchdowns and he even had two rushing scores. 

His most impressive game in his rookie year came in Week 5 of the 2020 NFL season when the Steelers played the Philadelphia Eagles. Claypool was a huge factor in the victory as he scored four total touchdowns: three receiving and one rushing while also having 110 receiving yards. Claypool was looking like he was going to be a dynamic and versatile receiver for the Steelers for a long time.

Claypool was named to the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie team for his performance in 2020. He had an impressive year two in 2021, but didn't produce quite as much as he did the year prior. Year by year, the production from Claypool continued to drop off and the Steelers ultimately made the decision to trade him to the Bears during the 2023 NFL season. 

Claypool only had 311 receiving yards through eight games with the Steelers in 2023. The franchise received the Bears' second round pick in exchange for Claypool, which was eventually used to select Joey Porter Jr. Most fans were happy with the trade as Claypool was not producing much at all and many fans grew tired of his antics. 

Chase Claypool's Bears Career

After being traded to the Bears, many expected Claypool to have a successful second half of the 2022 season due to the lack of receiving talent the Bears had on the roster. However, Claypool was only able to haul in 14 receptions for 140 yards and caught no touchdown passes in seven games for the Bears to end the season. 

It definitely did not live up to the value of the second-round pick the Bears had to give up in order to obtain the pass catcher from Pittsburgh. Despite these horrible numbers from Claypool in Chicago and the lack of success the Bears were able to find on offense, Claypool has been talking up the team to the media saying they will be an exciting and dynamic group to watch. 

"I truly believe that this year from last year will be a night and day difference. 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."

The Bears do have some exciting pieces. They traded for former Carolina Panthers' receiver DJ Moore and have a very successful running game thanks to their electrifying and athletic quarterback, Justin Fields. However, Claypool may not contribute much to the offense. The wide receiver is expected to be the third option on a run-heavy offense that just brought in a star receiver in Moore, so it is unlikely he will see enough opportunities to make an impact. 

There have also been reports coming out of OTAs that the Bears' coaching staff is frustrated and disappointed with the progress Claypool has made in the offseason and his overall work ethic, which can hurt his chances of getting the ball as much as he'd like.

What do you think of Claypool's comments Steeler Nation? Let us know in the comments!

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