Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool will miss his second straight game this week after the team told him to stay home in the wake of critical comments late last week about the way the team has used him since acquiring him in a trade with the Steelers last season.
Head coach Matt Eberflus said that the decision to deactivate Claypool wasn’t a direct reaction to those comments, but they played a role. Quarterback Justin Fields told reporters on Tuesday that he spoke to the wideout and that Claypool “definitely would” take them back if he could.
“I think he knows that he kind of messed up by saying that, but I wish him nothing but the best,” Fields said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “He’s a talented player, and he’s a great person, has a good heart and works really hard. Definitely going to be staying in touch with him regardless of what happens.”
Fields said that it “sucks” not to have Claypool with the team this week, but the quarterback turned in his best performance of the season without Claypool against Denver and building off that on Thursday night would help the Bears’ chances of ending their long losing streak.
