Bears General Manager Ryan Poles sounded as if Chase Claypool’s time with the team is over. It has been anticipated that the Bears will cut the receiver with a trade unlikely.
While Claypool is inactive for Thursday Night Football — after being away from the facility all week at the team’s behest — he remains on the roster.
Poles said on ESPN 1000 that the Bears are “taking it day by day to figure out what our next move is.”
“You’re always disappointed in this situation and it’s definitely something I take ownership of,” Poles said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “Last year in the situation we were in, we wanted to add another receiver to the offense, not only to help us be more productive but also to help Justin [Fields] take the next step. The right thought process was there, and I feel comfortable with that. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, and we were hoping for him to be a little bit more productive and be someone that could help us take it to the next level.”
The Bears gave up a second-round pick, the 32nd overall, to get Claypool at the deadline last year. He played 10 games with the team and caught 18 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown.
Claypool expressed frustration with his role in the Bears’ offense last Friday. Two days later, he was a healthy scratch.
Poles wished Claypool luck moving forward, even as the receiver remains with the team.
“I always look at things from a player’s perspective,” Poles said. “You have a player going into his free agent year, who wants to be productive and help us, and when things aren’t going the right way, sometimes you get emotional; things don’t work out and you struggle to blend in and keep resilient and stay resilient with the rest of the crew. I think Chase is going to learn from this situation; we all will; and I wish him luck moving forward throughout his career.”