Chicago Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool has a lot to prove going into the 2023 season after a campaign to forget.
Claypool, 25, was traded to the Bears from the Pittsburgh Steelers midway through the 2022 season for a 2023 second-round pick, a significant price to pay.
The move did not work out, or has not yet, as Claypool caught just 14 passes for 140 yards across seven games for the Bears, scoring no touchdowns and fumbling away possession once.
Now entering the final year of his rookie contract, Claypool needs to impress in 2023 if he is to secure a payday at the end of the season.
Claypool burst onto the scene in Pittsburgh during his rookie season, catching 62 passes for 873 yards and eight touchdowns, and while he had a similar number of receptions and yards the following year his touchdown count dropped to two.
Injuries have not helped Claypool's progression at the Bears, while others have questioned his work ethic.
Speaking at the Bears' training camp, Claypool responded to his critics: "It's the biggest year of my life, and I understand that.
"If anybody thinks my work ethic isn't matching that, they're deeply mistaken.
"Maybe people weren't happy with how I dealt with the offseason, but that's only the perception that was given to them and not the reality that's true.
"If there's any questions on how much I'm willing to do to help this team win, there shouldn't be.
"I think that I'm doing everything I can to be as healthy as possible and knowing in the game everyone gets injured."
The Bears traded away the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft in a package deal for wide receiver DJ Moore, who will line up as quarterback Justin Fields' primary target ahead of Darnell Mooney.
Claypool will be competing for snaps as the third choice wideout, while tight ends Cole Kmet and Robert Tonyan also provide competition for targets.
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