Bears told WR Chase Claypool to miss game after healthy scratch - ESPN

CHICAGO — A spokesperson for the Chicago Bears said that wide receiver Chase Claypool was told not to attend Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos after being designated a healthy scratch.

The Bears' messaging contradicts what coach Matt Eberflus said following Chicago's 31-28 loss to the Denver Broncos, when he confirmed that Claypool was not with the team at Soldier Field.

«We told him that it was a choice, and he's at home right now,» Eberflus said.

Sunday marked the third time Claypool has been inactive since he was traded to the Bears in November 2022, but it's the first time he has missed a game for non-injury reasons.

«When you look at actives or inactives every single week, what we do is we obviously evaluate meetings,» Eberflus said. «We evaluate walk-throughs. We evaluate practice, and we do that every single week, and then we declare actives or inactives based on that. And this week, Claypool was inactive.»

Claypool, 25, was benched two days after he expressed frustration with his usage in the Bears' offense on Friday. Asked whether he feels he has been put in the best position to showcase his skill set, the wide receiver paused for seven seconds before uttering, «No.»

«Sometimes the things around you either elevate you or you have to adapt to allow you to elevate with them,» Claypool said. «So I've just been adapting to the new system and my new role in the system and trying to make the most out of it.»

Eberflus said that Claypool's comments did not factor into him being inactive nor did the receiver know on Friday afternoon post practice that he was going to be a healthy scratch. Quarterback Justin Fields said he learned that Claypool would be inactive during a team meeting on Saturday and that the