The Chicago Bears acquired Chase Claypool hours before the trade deadline on November 1st. That was on a Tuesday. It means the wide receiver doesn’t have much time to get up to speed for Sunday. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said Claypool would play against the Miami Dolphins. What the team doesn’t yet know is how much. Asking a guy to learn a new offense in less than five days is a bit much. They may have to be judicious with how much they use him.
Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times spoke with wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert on that exact subject. It sounds like the Bears will look to ease Claypool in for plays that are easier to execute, plays he should know how to run. The tricky part will be knowing where to be before the snap and whether he must go in motion.
“We’ll give him as much as he can handle, and at the end of the week we’ll determine, ‘OK, we have X amount of plays for Chase,’” wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert said. “You don’t know when those plays will come up… He could have anywhere from 10 to 30 snaps depending on how many times [offensive coordinator Luke Getsy] calls those plays.
“He’s a smart enough guy to know what the play concept is, but knowing how to line up and shift in motion is the most important thing… He won’t be expected to know the whole playbook this week, but he’ll have his specific plays and hopefully give us some good quality snaps in the game.”
This is where Justin Fields comes in. He’s already been working with Claypool after practice, getting him up to speed on what he needs to know.
Chase Claypool will have a chance at revenge.
Sunday will mark the second time he has played against the Miami Dolphins this season. The first came back in week seven. He was held to just five catches for 41 yards. It came during a frustrating 16-10 loss. One can imagine he’s eager to help his new team rectify that situation. It comes down to how quickly he can establish a connection with Fields. That and how well the offensive line can protect the quarterback.
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Fans are undoubtedly eager to see him do well. The last time Chicago employed a talent like Chase Claypool was in 2014, when Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery were still teammates. Big receivers always seem to do well with the Bears, provided they can stay healthy. The Bears believe he can be an important piece to their puzzle. No doubt he’s anxious to show the Steelers they made a mistake.
Can he return punts?
The first quote is “We’ll give him as much as he can handle”. It will be interesting to see. Good to read that he’s already working after practice with Justin, hopefully Mooney too. Get him up to speed (pun intended)… fast.
Why limit him ? why not let the coaches figure out how much he can handle
OK, give him 3 plays. Not rocket science. Let him do the 3 plays for 9 snaps.