Seems Chase Claypool Is Already Living Up To His Reputation In Miami

The Chicago Bears really tried to make it work with Chase Claypool. They featured him as much as possible in their offense from the moment he arrived. He got 43 targets in ten games. It wasn't like they froze him out of the game plan every week. The fact is the receiver wasn't making enough plays. Only 18 of those 43 targets resulted in completions. If that weren't bad enough, Claypool compounded the problem with poor blocking. For somebody 6'4 and 220 lbs, he was remarkably easy for smaller defensive backs to get past.

He was already earning frustration from the coaching staff for his inconsistency. So when the receiver blamed them for not using him correctly, that was the last straw. Claypool was deactivated, and a week later, the Bears traded him to the Miami Dolphins for a pick swap. It goes down as one of the worst trades made by the organization in at least a decade. Some people feared Claypool was right. The coaching was the problem, not him. Miami would figure it out.

Based on his first impressions, that is a laughable notion. Not only was he held without a catch in the Dolphins' loss to Philadelphia on Sunday night, but he was spotted once again whiffing on a blocking assignment.

The Chase Claypool curse also seems stronger than ever.

When the Bears traded for him in October last year, they went on a 14-game losing streak. It was the longest in franchise history. Then, the moment they send him to Miami, they win their first in almost a year against Washington. Sure enough, when he suits up for his first game with the Dolphins, they lose by 14 points to the Eagles. Claypool has not won any of the last 13 games he's played in. Part of that is bad luck, but some of it might also be him not contributing enough when asked.

One thing is for sure. The Bears aren't sad to see him gone. Their passing game has gotten on fine without him. D.J. Moore, Darnell Mooney, and Cole Kmet have picked up the slack. Even rookie Tyler Scott is doing more lately. Chase Claypool had every opportunity in the world to make it work here. He wasn't willing to put in the work or the effort. Matt Eberflus has a high standard for those traits. When it became obvious the receiver didn't have them, the Bears moved on. Now he's Miami's problem.