Getty Bears head coach Matt Eberflus had an update on Chase Claypool's injury for the first day of veteran minicamp.
The Chicago Bears may have to wait until the start of 2023 training camp late next month to get another look at wide receiver Chase Claypool in action.
Claypool, who has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury for the past few weeks of OTAs, was not practicing during Tuesday’s first day of mandatory veteran minicamp and continued to work with the Bears’ athletic training staff on the sideline.
“He’s dealing with a few things, working with the training staff,” Eberflus said on June 13 before elaborating more on the details of Claypool’s issues.
“Just a few minor things that he’s working with. What’s great about this time of year is we have the luxury of him working with the trainers. He’s not in a time crunch and we can get him fully healthy working into the summer because we have 40 days when we break from here to get ready for that report at training camp [in late July]”
While Eberflus describing Claypool’s issues as “minor” bodes well for him being ready to practice again in time for camp later this summer, it is a little concerning that he has been unable to participate in the majority of on-field workouts over the past month.
The Bears paid a high price — the No. 32 overall pick in the 2023 draft — to acquire Claypool at the trade deadline last season, but an injury and being thrust into a new offense limited what he was able to offer the team. The hope has been that, with a full offseason to dive into the playbook, Claypool can take a leap with the Bears in 2023 and become a reliable member of their starting lineup. Losing out on time to build more chemistry with quarterback Justin Fields could complicate the process, though.
Injuries Open Door for Rookie Tyler Scott to Shine
The Bears are down two of their starting receivers at minicamp with Claypool sidelined with his new injury and Darnell Mooney still working back from last year’s season-ending ankle injury. With the two of them out of the practice rotation, though, it could mean more opportunities for fourth-round rookie Tyler Scott to earn his keep.
Scott has turned a few heads in the open-to-media OTA practices over the past month. Former Bears coach Dave Wannstedt talked up Scott’s ability to make defenders miss during his appearance on 670 The Score’s ‘Parkins & Spiegel’ on June 1, imploring the Bears to find a way “to get this guy the football” as they craft their rotation for 2023. He also continued the trend in Tuesday’s first minicamp session, making a diving deep-ball grab down the sideline from backup quarterback P.J. Walker.
Scott has the potential to be a valuable slot weapon for the Bears in his rookie season, even once Mooney and Claypool rejoin the rotation. He has impressive speed — a 4.44-second clocking in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine — that allows him to win on top against his coverage as well as take handoffs and speed around the edge. He could also offer Chicago another competition in the return game against Velus Jones Jr. and veteran Dante Pettis.
Justin Fields & D.J. Moore Continue to Generate Buzz
GettyNew wide receiver D.J. Moore has continued to turn heads in his first offseason with the Bears.
Another positive note for the Bears’ receiving corps coming out of the first minicamp practice is that the connection between Fields and his new No. 1 receiver, D.J. Moore, is only continuing to generate buzz among players and attending media alike.
According to Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago, the Fields-Moore connection was on full display during the previous three weeks of OTAs. He made note of several of their big-time plays, including a touchdown pass from Fields to Moore in the second week where the young quarterback “threaded the ball between two defenders” for the score.
Zack Pearson of 247 Sports also pointed out their connection as one of the biggest positives for the offense in offseason workouts, tweeting that he feels like “that’s only going to get better and better as we go on.”
Even the Bears defenders having to play against Fields and Moore are noticing a difference in the offense with that connection present.
“That 1 and 2 connection is going to be crazy this year,” Bears defensive tackle Justin Jones said after Tuesday’s practice.”Justin Fields and D.J. Moore are going to be crazy this year. I’m telling you right now. I like what I see.”
