GM Ryan Poles has been methodical in his approach to rebuilding the Chicago Bears wide receiver position. It started by drafting Velus Jones in the 3rd round last year. While the move didn’t benefit the offense much last season, it resulted in an immediate impact at kick returner. Then he traded a 2nd round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Chase Claypool. A few months later, he hit the market again, swinging a blockbuster deal with Carolina that involved D.J. Moore. Lastly, the Bears added further depth with 4th round pick Tyler Scott.
The trio of Moore, Claypool, and Darnell Mooney feels like the most talented the Bears have had in a long time. While some in the media have downplayed how good they have a chance to be, others in the league itself seem far more optimistic. Dan Pompei of The Athletic spoke to multiple NFL scouts about the state of the Bears roster. They understandably had questions about Justin Fields and the offensive line. However, they seemed far more positive with their projections when the receivers came up.
“It’s a really formidable group,” Scout C says. “I’d put it in the top half of the league if they are healthy.”
The biggest health concern at this point is Claypool, who missed about a month of summer work with an apparent hamstring injury. The Bears acquired him in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers for a second-round pick last November and he caught 14 passes for 140 yards in seven games. He missed two other games with a knee injury.
“A lot of stress falls on whether Chase is right from a health standpoint and prepared to be the best version of himself,” Scout B says. “If he can be the X, vertical stretch player, it allows you to be creative with DJ and use Darnell as a possession type inside, where he has the ability to be really productive.”
What makes this trio so dangerous is how different their skill sets are. Each fits a certain niche that compliments the others. Moore is a versatile chess piece you can move around to create matchups. Claypool is the big, rangy target with deep speed that stresses defenses down the field. Mooney is a quick, speedy target that can create problems if defended by safeties or linebackers. You can’t double all of them. By doubling one, it guarantees the other two will be one-on-one. The odds are favorable that one of them will win their matchup to get open.
This is the kind of complementary football Poles wanted to create. The key factor, as the scouts pointed out, is health. Claypool and Mooney both suffered injuries last season. To make this work, everybody must stay on the field. Claypool had an outstanding training camp before some soft tissue injuries slowed him. Mooney is finally back from his ankle issue. Moore has looked fantastic in limited action. Everybody is good to go for Sunday against Green Bay. The Packers have a formidable pass defense.
We’re about to see how right those scouts are about this new Chicago Bears unit.
