Chicago Bears: 5 Breakout candidates for the 2023 season
Chase Claypool — Wide Receiver
Like Gipson, there were high hopes for Chase Claypool. The Chicago Bears acquired him in a trade deadline deal last season. They gave up a valuable second-round pick.
Claypool had a couple of pretty good seasons when he started out with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In his first two seasons, he had 121 receptions for 1,733 yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged 14.3 yards per reception.
The Steelers, however, drafted George Pickens in the second round and Calvin Austin III. Add in Diontae Johnson and Claypool was expendable.
Despite Austin having to go on injured reserve, the Steelers still plan on him being a big part of their offense. Given that the Bears were willing to part ways with a second-round pick, Claypool came to Chicago.
Things did not go great for Claypool with the Bears. He struggled to get a grip on offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s offensive system. He looked lost at times and it took a tool. He even had a meltdown in one game before he was calmed down.
There is an important item to be aware of, though — having players adjust to a different system midway through the season is a difficult task in the NFL. There are different calls, the wording is different, and the adjustment to a new quarterback can take time.
Additionally, learning Getsy’s system is difficult when you have an entire offseason learning it. Remember, Justin Fields, Darnell Mooney, and Cole Kmet worked together on learning the offense. However, they struggled out of the gate.
Mooney, the Bears’ WR1, was Fields’ security blanket in 2021. The two worked great together. In the first three weeks, though, he had just 4 catches for 27 yards. His catch percentage was only 36.4. He did finally start to heat up but then an injury shut his season down prematurely.
The same could happen with Claypool. He had to learn on the fly last season. Now, however, he has those seven games he played last season and an entire offseason to learn the system and establish a rapport with Fields. With his abilities, he could have a big season in 2023.