After a dismal showing in 2022, the Bears’ motto for the 2023 passing attack should simply read: “It can’t be worse.”
But general manager Ryan Poles has bigger ambitions for what he hopes is a takeoff season for third-year quarterback Justin Fields.
The Bears traded for star wide receiver DJ Moore and bolstered the offensive line with the signing of right guard Nate Davis and the selection of right tackle Darnell Wright in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
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Moore’s arrival will immediately raise the floor of the Bears’ passing game. The 26-year-old receiver strung together three straight 1,100-yard seasons from 2019 to 2021 while catching passes from Kyle Allen, Cam Newton, Sam Darnold, and Teddy Bridgewater. It’s fair to expect he’ll be able to do the same for Fields, giving the Bears’ passing game a reliable, No. 1 receiver to fall back on when things get sticky.
In the six OTA and minicamp practices the media viewed this spring, Moore’s impact and chemistry with Fields was readily apparent. Fields fed Moore early and often in the team sessions, relying on his new security blanket to get the offense moving before sprinkling in passes to tight end Cole Kmet, tight end Robert Tonyan, and wide receiver Dante Pettis.
The Bears’ acquisition of Moore has been compared to the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles’ moves to add Stefon Diggs and A.J. Brown. Diggs and Brown's impact on the growth of Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts has been well documented.
In the season before Diggs showed up in Buffalo, Allen completed just 58.8 percent of his passes for 3,089 yards and 20 touchdowns. Since Diggs arrived, Allen has completed 65.2 percent of his passes for an average of 4,411 yards per season and 36 touchdowns. Hurts went from 61.3 percent to 66.5 percent last season with Brown in the fold.
The Bears believe Moore can have a similar impact on Fields’ development in what is a critical season for the young quarterback.
Moore is a multiplier whose arrival will give Fields a go-to receiver he can trust on money downs and allow Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, and Kmet to fill roles that better fit their skill set.
The Bears’ passing game will be better this fall. An arsenal that relied on Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown, Dante Pettis, and N’Keal Harry last season now has a clear top-three in Moore, Mooney, and Claypool, with Kmet set up for a breakout season.
In Moore and Kmet, the Bears have two reliable options for Fields to target. There should be no questions regarding Mooney’s effectiveness as long as his ankle is fully recovered following offseason ankle surgery.
Expectations should be much higher for Fields and the passing attack in 2023. But if it’s going to reach its ceiling, Chase Claypool is the key.
The Bears acquired Claypool last November, hoping that his vertical field-stretching and jump-ball ability would give Fields a big-play weapon he could rely on – in 2023.
The Bears had low expectations for Claypool in the back half of 2022. It’s hard to parachute in, learn a brand-new offense, develop chemistry with a new quarterback, and master each week’s game plan. The Bears did what they could to put in a handful of plays for Claypool each week, but the eye was always on the future.
“He came in, he did a great job of diving in,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said of Claypool’s work last season. “Had a little bit of success, then he got dinged. Now you’ve got time away from that relationship that you’re growing with your quarterback. And he finished up the season there at the end. To say where he is now, obviously, he’s definitely in a much better place. That’s what’s most important. Like coach Flus and those guys have said, I think that his positivity, his optimism coming into this thing, and his attack and his approach to how he’s trying to learn this thing is really cool to see.”
From all accounts, Claypool has been a different receiver this offseason. He worked hard to learn Getsy’s scheme and develop chemistry with Fields. The fourth-year wide receiver missed most of OTAs and minicamp due to soft tissue injuries, but those aren’t expected to be a lingering issue.
Those inside Halas Hall are pleased with Claypool’s work ethic and attitude, and his absence from on-field work in the spring is a non-issue. The Bears want Claypool full-go when training camp opens in two weeks. They understand that if the Claypool of 2020 and 2021 shows up at Soldier Field this fall, their arsenal will have all the weapons needed to beat opposing defenses in a variety of ways.
“Chase has improved tremendously from the end of last year to now,” Fields said during OTAs.
“You can just see he’s taking another step, so definitely excited for that.”
During his rookie season in 2020, Claypool caught 62 passes for 873 yards and nine touchdowns. He followed that up with 59 catches for 860 yards and two scores. But a new quarterback and the Steelers’ decision to shift him into the slot caused his play to dip last season, eventually leading to his exit from Pittsburgh.
That won’t be an issue in Chicago. There is certainty under center. The Bears will ask Claypool to learn X, Y, and F roles in the offense, but he will almost certainly see the bulk of his snaps on the outside, with Mooney and Moore sharing time in the slot.
Claypool’s size and athleticism will give him a unique and vital role in the Bears’ passing attack. With Moore, Mooney, and Kmet doing their best work in the intermediate area of the field – an area in which Fields led the NFL in completion percentage in 2022 – the Bears will need Claypool to be an effective field-stretching weapon that safeties have to respect.
The Bears drafted speedy receiver Tyler Scott to help stretch the field, but his snaps will be limited with the three receivers ahead of him, putting the onus on Claypool to both open up the intermediate area of the field and serve as a big-play option on the outside.
If Claypool can get back to his 2020-21 baseline (50-60 catches, 800 yards, 14.1 yards per catch), the Bears’ aerial attack could have even more teeth than expected this fall.
Moore is a star. Kmet and Mooney are proven reliable pass-catchers with a legitimate connection with Fields. The floor for the Bears’ passing attack is much higher than last season.
But it’s what Chase Claypool does or doesn't do that will determine whether or not it reaches its ceiling.