Was Chase Claypool Holding Justin Fields Back? Yes, And We Have Proof

The Chicago Bears traded for Chase Claypool in October of 2022. Over the next ten games, the wide receiver managed only 191 yards and one touchdown. Everybody talks about how little impact he had in a positive way. Not enough have discussed his negative impact on the offense as a whole. His subpar blocking was already mentioned. This is more about how bad things get when the team tried factoring him into the game plans. One enterprising Bears fan on Reddit (jphoc) decided to chart Justin Fields' stats when not targeting Claypool this season.

His findings were more than a little remarkable.

For those unwilling to do the math, Fields posted four completions for 51 yards, 1 TD, and two INTs on 14 targets in Claypool's direction. In case you weren't sure, that isn't good. It is obvious the wide receiver wasn't doing nearly enough to make plays for his quarterback. There is no way the ten targets that didn't result in completion were all bad throws by Fields. Another Reddit user, Under4kForever, corroborated the findings with what happened after Claypool left Pittsburgh.

Justin Fields was finally free after Claypool left.

Until that point, there was almost a feeling of responsibility for him and the coaching staff to get the receiver involved. Chicago traded a 2nd round pick for him. They had to make sure it was worth it. However, as time passed, it became apparent that Claypool was more of a liability than an asset. He offered nothing as a blocker. Even worse, he played like somebody 5'9 and 180 lbs despite being 6'4 and 220. It is difficult to find somebody his size getting consistently outmuscled by smaller defensive backs.

Then there was the personality. Claypool talked a big game, insisting he's a top receiver in the league and worked harder than anybody. Then the dude quits when the team isn't winning enough. It's no wonder the coaching staff got tired of him. They recognized early that he would be a problem in the locker room if he stuck around too long. Justin Fields would be better off without him. That the Bears quarterback played the two best games of his career immediately after the receiver was out of the picture can't be a coincidence.