The Chicago Bears should make this healthy scratch on Sunday

The Chicago Bears were horrible in Week 1. It was as disastrous of a letdown as they’ve ever had. Not only did the team play badly, but it also left questions about multiple different players on the team.

One of the people that deserved plenty of criticism is wide receiver Chase Claypool. The Bears made a big trade involving a second-round pick to get Claypool last year so they have some high hopes for him.

Yes, wide receivers are dependent on the quarterback and the Bears are still working on that. However, Claypool has not done his part in helping Justin Fields grow either.

His game against Green Bay was a disgrace. Not only did he accumulate 0 yards on 0 catches, his effort was absolutely horrendous. It looked like he literally didn’t care about football or winning at all.

The Chicago Bears need to make some changes before Week 2 of the season.

There is plenty of evidence in the argument against his effort. There were multiple plays where he was needed as a blocker and the effort just wasn’t there. It is a shame because he has the talent to be an extremely impactful player.

There are plenty of other people, perhaps with lesser name recognition, that would give more of an effort and make the Chicago Bears a better team. Maybe, if they want to improve the culture, they will work on that.

Claypool should be a healthy scratch on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It would send a great message from the team to the players. With no effort, you sit for a week. You have to earn your spot.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not expected to be a good team this year but they got a big win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. There is no reason to think that they can’t beat the Bears in Week 2.

Claypool deserves to be scratched but it is hard to see the Bears making a smart move so bold. There is a lot of stock that they invested in him. Scratching him, however, would not be them giving up. It would be them sending a much-needed message.

Regardless of what the fallout is from his pathetic week one performance, we can only hope that he gets better from here.