Eberflus says Chase Claypool will not be with the Bears this week
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters at Halas Hall on Monday that receiver Chase Claypool won't be with the team this week ahead of its game against the Washington Commanders on Thursday. Eberflus originally broke the news Monday morning on ESPN 1000′s "Kap & J. Hood" morning show.
Claypool did not attend Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos. The Broncos won the game, 31-28, after overcoming a 21-point deficit.
Eberflus said he and Bears general manager made the decision to have Claypool away from the team Monday morning and called Claypool to let him know. They felt it was in the best interest of the team to have Claypool away from the facilities.
"When I came here day one, I talked about being on time, being respectful and working hard," Eberflus said. "That to me is important for every individual, if it's a staff member, a player, or a coach. That's where we are."
When reporters asked Eberflus whether those were the reasons why Claypool was away from team and will continue to do so, Eberflus said the team has a standard and when it's not met, things are not good.
"When you're evaluating players in meeting in practice, in walk-throughs, in all those things, it's important you evaluate the entire body of work," Eberflus said. "We just feel that right now Chase is going to be out of the building (and that) is best for our football team."
Eberflus wouldn't comment on how Claypool reacted to the news both Sunday and Monday and whether the receiver played with the franchise for the last time.
"Ryan [Poles] does all the trades and transactions, and we'll decide that as we move forward," Eberflus said.
Claypool criticized his coaches during a media session on Friday. Then the team decided to make Claypool inactive for Sunday's game. While other inactive players showed up for the game and worked out on the field before kickoff, Claypool's locker remained untouched all afternoon.
After the game Sunday, Eberflus gave a confusing answer when asked if it was Claypool's decision to stay home Sunday. A Bears spokesperson later clarified that the team asked Claypool not to attend the game.
Tight end Cole Kmet has had a long-standing friendship with Claypool since their days of playing football at Notre Dame together from 2017 to 2019. Kmet couldn't remember anything happening during practices last week involving Claypool and thought the situation was unfortunate
"It's really unfortunate it's had to pan out the way it has so far," Kmet said. "Coach and Ryan are making a decision they feel is best for the football team."
The Bears acquired Claypool in November for a second-round pick in this year's draft from the Pittsburgh Steelers, a pick that ended up being the No. 32 overall. Claypool has played in 10 games with the Bears, catching one touchdown with 191 receiving yards on 18 catches.
It's possible the team is looking for a trade partner, but it's hard to imagine who they might be able to acquire in exchange for an unhappy receiver who has caused problems with two organizations now.
Eberflus focused on details last week and felt like they made improvements last week. He said he's looking to continue that this week with or without Claypool.
"I think we made a lot of improvements last week, and I think it's important we continue to build off that momentum of playing better into this week," Eberflus said. "That's the singular focus we need to have."