Chase Claypool Looking Strong in Return

Wide receiver Chase Claypool has gone through two weeks of practice without an issue while recovering from an injury suffered prior to the first preseason game.

Chase Claypool's presence on the practice field all week is not to be treated lightly.

The Bears wide receiver had been out since suffering what appeared to be a hamstring injury Aug. 9 but there's no doubt he's ready for the season opener.

Claypool hasn't been on an injury report and he's running well on the field. It's safe for the Bears to count on him for Sunday against Greey Bay.

"He's back in, he's full-go," offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said. "He's been great. The last two weeks, there haven't been any limitations. He's been fine.

"We kind of threw him right back in from that soft muscle (injury) in training camp."

Claypool had very little off-season work, just one week. He dealt then with injuries. In training camp, he was showing up regularly with catches at practice before the injury just before the first preseason game.

As a result of a fast start Claypool had in training camp, Getsy doubts the 6-foot-4, 238-pound wide receiver will require much time getting back up to speed with Justin Fields.

"I don’t think so. I thought Chase had a really good camp up until the injury," Getsy said. "So, they had a ton of work together."

Conditioning has been more the concern than getting past the soft-tissue injury.

"More so for Chase, getting his wind back and getting his feet back underneath him, which he did a week ago," Getsy said. "Yesterday (Wednesday), he was back to full speed."

The way Claypool had looked early in camp left a positive impression on GM Ryan Poles.

"Making a lot of plays, bringing energy, physicality to the run game and the pass game, at that point I felt really good," Poles said. "Got a little chipped up there and now he’s working back into it. I liked where he left off, where he was at his pinnacle of camp. I felt really good about."

The real mystery in the Bears receiver department is who else will be active for the game. They already know newly acquired slot receiver Trent Taylor will be the punt returner because GM Ryan Poles didn't sign him to sit on the bench. 

However, Taylor doesn't know the offense well yet so they'll need more backups.

The other receivers besides Taylor, Claypool, Darnell Mooney and DJ Moore are Equanimeous St. Brown, Velus Jones Jr. and rookie Tyler Scott. It would seem unlikely everyone is going to be active for the game.

Special teams could decide who's active. Jones is the kick returner but they have others who can do it, as well. Running back Khalil Herbert is one.

"While I'll take that to Velus and Tyler because they are both young players," special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said. "So they are both developing. They just have to keep developing. 

"The thing that's great about those two is since Trent has gotten here their attitude hasn't changed. They haven't wavered, they are in the meeting room the same, they are studying the same, they are preparing hard, they are catching, they are trying to get better at their craft. So the development for them is just to continue to keep doing what they are doing and get better at it."

Jones is listed No. 1 kick returner on the depth chart, so that must count for something. 

"I'm not going to say because that's what Green Bay is waiting on," Hightower said.

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