OK, Chicago Bears followers. This was most likely the a part of the Chase Claypool introduction you had been most trying ahead to.
“I’m a playmaker,” Claypool mentioned Wednesday afternoon, simply earlier than his first observe as a Bear at Halas Hall. “And I’m excited to make plays.”
The speedy response from an keen metropolis: Welcome aboard, man. Just how rapidly are you able to get began?
As the latest addition to the Bears’ growing offense, Claypool affords loads to be enthusiastic about. He’s 6-foot-4 and 238 kilos. He ran the 40-yard sprint on the 2020 scouting mix in 4.42 seconds. He had a 10-touchdown season as a rookie and has greater than 2,000 profession receiving yards over 2½ seasons.
There’s apparent upside right here, which was an enormous cause Bears normal supervisor Ryan Poles felt compelled to commerce a second-round decide Tuesday afternoon to seize Claypool from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bears, with the league’s least productive passing assault, want extra game-changing playmakers on offense. And if Poles failed so as to add sufficient weaponry to the receiving corps throughout his first spring on the job, he took an aggressive step to rectify that with this newest cube roll.
“You can never have enough weapons and guys who help your quarterback gain confidence,” Poles mentioned.
Now, although, comes the duty of setting sensible expectations — particularly for the ultimate 9 video games of the season. Yes, Claypool is an enormous, quick goal with a confirmed observe file of creating tough catches within the NFL. But no, he isn’t an instantaneous fix-all for a passing offense that has a protracted approach to go in its quest to succeed in the middle-tier.
Even quarterback Justin Fields, who mentioned he was excited to deliver Claypool aboard, knew higher than to forecast some kind of speedy, league-shaking offensive explosion.
“It’s not high school football where you just get a bigger, better receiver and you can just look off the safety and throw it one-on-one down the field,” Fields mentioned. “You’re still going to have to go through your reads and go through your progressions. Of course, we’re going to work him into the offense slowly and try to get the ball in his hands. But I just have to stay even-keeled.”
Through eight video games, Claypool had 32 receptions, 311 yards and one landing for a Steelers offense that has had quarterback instability with the arrival of Mitch Trubisky after which the Week 5 change to rookie Kenny Pickett. Claypool additionally was studying a brand new position, enjoying within the slot rather more extensively.
“I feel like I didn’t have the full opportunity to show what I can do,” he mentioned.
Still, these stats would possibly present a sensible goal for Claypool for the Bears’ last 9 video games as he learns a brand new offense, will get his toes on the bottom and finds his area of interest.
To that finish, Bears coach Matt Eberflus struck a measured tone Wednesday in expressing optimism about Claypool’s potential however uncertainty about how that may translate into game-day manufacturing.
“We’re just going to let it play out,” Eberflus mentioned. “It will go where it will go. How fast does he pick up information? How fast does he jell with the other receivers, with the quarterback? And we expect really good things from that.”
It begins with testing Claypool’s means to adapt and settle in. For what it’s value, the 24-year-old receiver landed at O’Hare round 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, made it to Halas Hall by 10:30 and rushed himself out to his first Bears observe just a little after 1 p.m.
He acknowledged his head was spinning from the whirlwind.
“For sure, a little bit,” Claypool mentioned. “But I think it will settle down after the first day.”
Not to say, this week is the Steelers’ open date. So Claypool went from readying for an enormous exhale and a few much-needed midseason leisure to pushing to hurry up his acclimation in Lake Forest. He understands that his new groups hopes he can contribute quickly, maybe as early as Sunday towards the Miami Dolphins at Soldier Field.
“I’m trying to take a day-by-day approach,” Claypool mentioned. “I’m not trying to figure everything out at once in terms of where I’m staying, (my) family and this and that. I’m focusing on the playbook first and then little extra meetings with coaches. That’s probably just one and two.”
It’s unattainable to say at this stage whether or not the Bears might be considered as winners down the highway within the commerce for Claypool. They should discover methods to make the most of his strengths and channel a few of his brash confidence in the fitting route.
At this level, Claypool is simply attempting to take issues little by little with a aim to turn into a go-to weapon for Fields as quickly as potential.
“I’m excited to be able to gain that trust with Justin,” Claypool mentioned, “where he knows if he needs a play he can come to me.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com