Eberflus: Claypool to remain away from Bears

Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff WriterOct 2, 2023, 10:25 AM ET
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CHICAGO — Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool will not be with the team ahead of its Week 5 matchup in Washington, coach Matt Eberflus said during his weekly appearance on “Kap & J.Hood” on ESPN 1000.

“He’s not going to be in the building this particular week on this short week,” Eberflus said when asked whether Claypool would be active for the Bears’ Thursday night game against the Commanders.

Claypool was a healthy scratch for Chicago’s 31-28 loss to the Denver Broncos. The wide receiver was not at Soldier Field on Sunday and was told not to attend the game, according to a team spokesperson.

Following the loss, Eberflus told reporters that it was Claypool’s choice whether to attend the game as an inactive player or stay home. The coach said he wanted to “correct the record” Monday and offered an explanation for why his information was different from the team’s.

“At the podium yesterday, obviously after an emotional game, I was not clear on what transpired there,” Eberflus said. “We did ask Chase to stay home during that time. We felt it was in the best interest of the team. We always base our inactives based on meetings, based on practice, based on walk-throughs during the course of the week. And we made him inactive for that point.”

Eberflus also said Sunday that he expected Claypool to be back with the team at Halas Hall on Monday.

Claypool expressed frustration with his role in the Bears’ offense Friday. When asked whether he feels he has been put in the best position to showcase his skill set, the wide receiver paused for seven seconds before uttering, “No.”

Eberflus was asked whether he felt Claypool fit the Bears’ culture based on his comments. While he did not directly answer that question, the Bears coach said the team would monitor the situation with the wide receiver going forward.

“[General manager] Ryan [Poles] makes all transactions and does all things of that nature and we’ll see where it goes from there,” Eberflus said.

The Bears sent the No. 32 overall pick to Pittsburgh last November in exchange for Claypool, who is in the final year of his rookie contract. In the 10 games he’s played in Chicago, Claypool has struggled to establish a high-volume role for himself, having caught 18 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown.