Chicago Bears Q&A: Any regrets with Chase Claypool? Who could surprise at training camp — and which battles will be ones to watch?

Brad Biggs answers your Chicago Bears questions weekly, except when the mailbag is on vacation. This is the final installment until after training camp opens.

I keep hearing the Bears are getting increasingly frustrated with Chase Claypool and are having deep regrets. He hasn’t exactly fit in with the Bears or before that with the Steelers, who got an amazing deal in the trade. What did GM Ryan Poles see in this guy? He didn’t set the world on fire in Pittsburgh. What do you think the Bears will do with him? — Michael K.

All of the chatter in regard to Claypool this offseason — positive, negative and otherwise — will be moot when the season begins. There were many mailbag questions about the wide receiver this week and the best thing I can tell you is Claypool’s production on the field will tell the story. Yes, the Steelers wound up with a good haul for a player they selected No. 49 in 2020. They got a pick back that turned out to be 17 slots higher and effectively replaced Claypool a year ago with George Pickens. Something I noted at the time, or shortly after the trade, is the Steelers have had a pretty well-documented history of moving on from wide receivers after their rookie contracts. There have been some exceptions, but they’ve also seen productive players depart and quickly replaced them with draft picks. Claypool’s role with the Steelers shifted when they asked him to play in the slot more and, of course, the franchise was in the first year of the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. One telling thing at the end of the season was that the Steelers’ passing rankings were pretty much unchanged in games without Claypool. Similarly, the Bears’ passing rankings were mostly unchanged with Claypool from where they were before the deal.

What did Poles see in Claypool? He saw a chance to help quarterback Justin Fields. Poles wanted to get a big body with the ability to be a playmaker and Claypool was productive in his first two seasons in Pittsburgh. It’s easy to say the deal turned into a bad one for the Bears right now. Let’s keep in mind a lot of folks in the first half of last season were clamoring for Poles to do something — anything — to surround Fields with more help. The GM did, and for a variety of reasons, including Claypool having to learn a new system, it didn’t pay dividends.

The trade is what it is, but the Bears have Claypool under contract for 17 games this season. If he goes out and catches nine touchdown passes as he did as a rookie or has 59 receptions for 860 yards as he did in 2021, the Bears will get some return on their investment. Can they “win” the trade with the Steelers? Anything is possible, but DJ Moore is going to be the No. 1 target. A highly efficient passing attack has multiple productive players — something that has been fleeting for the Bears in seasons not involving Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.

Claypool should be highly motivated in a contract season. Maybe the Bears hope the doubt out there regarding Claypool will motivate him to put the kind of season together that will get him paid. The first thing Claypool has to do is show up for training camp healthy. He missed a bunch of the second half of the offseason program with what coach Matt Eberflus described as soft-tissue injuries.

You asked what are the Bears going to do with Claypool. They’re going to hope he performs like a player with plenty to prove every week. They don’t have a lot of other options.

Which player could surprise in training camp and preseason — someone we have not heard much about during the offseason program? — Peter H., DeKalb

That’s a good question and to answer it, I’ll have to pick a guy who hasn’t generated headlines this offseason.

Trestan Ebner is interesting, and we haven’t heard a lot about him. If you’re just looking at the depth chart, it’s probably easy to wonder if or where Ebner will fit after the team signed D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer in free agency and then used a fourth-round draft pick on Roschon Johnson. Perhaps Ebner can open some eyes this summer. He was a skilled receiver out of the backfield at Baylor and didn’t get a lot of opportunities to showcase that ability last season. He’s also a very solid performer on special teams. Generally the starting running back doesn’t do much if anything on special teams. In a scenario in which Johnson wins the top spot on the depth chart — the Bears have to think he can by drafting him in Round 4 — do they want to carry two backs — Johnson and Foreman — who then wouldn’t provide much on special teams?

You said “surprise,” so I’m throwing out a scenario that would be somewhat surprising. We’ll have to see how Ebner looks in training camp and the preseason.

While there’s been a lot written about the Bears’ weakness at the edge position, I’m wondering about their lack of depth on the offensive line. They look thin to me after the first five. Is this a concern for Ryan Poles? — Marc B., Nashville, Tenn.

This doesn’t strike me as one of the top concerns for the front office. It’s really difficult for a lot of teams to be rock solid across the front with five starters, so you’re talking about a depth issue, that is a question for probably more than half the teams in the league. It’s rare when teams are overloaded with quality linemen like the Philadelphia Eagles were last season.

The Bears appear to have an experienced interior option in Lucas Patrick. He needs to stay healthy but has had ample time at guard and center. They also used Ja’Tyre Carter some with the first unit in the spring, a good sign for the guard who was selected a year ago. I am skeptical Alex Leatherwood will make the 53-man roster, but he’s in the mix. There isn’t a clear swing tackle, but they will have players compete at the spot. It’s also a position at which they might be able to grab a player off the waiver wire.

Are there questions about who will play what backup roles? No doubt. Is it troublesome? No, I’d say it’s a common situation for a lot of teams on an annual basis.

Will there be a running back competition, or is it Khalil Herbert’s job to run with? — @therealdrogos

I see a real competition here with Herbert, draft pick Roschon Johnson and D’Onta Foreman battling to be the starter on first and second downs. I would not assume anyone has an upper hand, but in a long view at the position, the Bears are betting on Johnson in seasons to come based on the draft investment.

What are the biggest position battles to watch? Center and back-end receivers? — @bigbusinessbird

I don’t see a competition at center. The Bears are paying Cody Whitehair $9.9 million this season, and that is not the kind of salary to put on the sideline. Lucas Patrick is competing for a spot as a backup interior player. I agree it will be interesting to see how some of the young wide receivers such as Tyler Scott and Velus Jones Jr. perform. I’d keep an eye on the starting cornerback spot that second-round pick Tyrique Stevenson is in position to win. The rotation of the defensive linemen will also be interesting as will playing time for the running backs.

What are realistic expectations for the Bears when it comes to Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson off the edge? — @dabearszach

I don’t know. Gipson had seven sacks in 2021 but that is when he was, at times, opposite Robert Quinn, who was having a monster season. Robinson flashed in the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers last season but didn’t make many splash plays after that.

The first thing I’m wondering about the edge players this season is how much they will benefit from what should be improved and more disruptive play by interior defensive linemen. There should be a few more plays to make on the edge because the defensive tackles are causing havoc. But in terms of what to expect from Gipson, Robinson or really anyone else at defensive end right now, I’d be guessing.

Will Noah Sewell gain the starting linebacker job over Jack Sanborn in Week 1? — @gaxman1992

Sewell was the beneficiary of extended playing time with the first unit this spring as Sanborn recovers from an ankle injury that sidelined him late last season. Good news: Sanborn is expected to be full speed when training camp opens. I asked coach Matt Eberflus last week about the possibility Sewell, a rookie from Oregon, can push for the strong side job in training camp, and he sort of tapped the brakes on the idea.

“We’ll see where he goes,” Eberflus said. “With rookies, it’s always ‘Know what to do first.’ So he knows his assignment so he can do it fast. He’s getting better at it. We love his instincts. He’s a very instinctual player.

“And so is Jack. Jack is a very instinctual player, plays multiple positions for us. But Jack will be the starter there going into (training camp) and then we’ll see what Noah can do to press him.”

Sanborn displayed a knack for being around the ball last season. If he’s full speed, Sewell will definitely have to beat him out by the sound of things.

Do you think the linebacker switch of Roquan Smith to Tremaine Edmunds will end up paying off? — @windycitysp0rts

It sure paid off for both players, right? Smith became the highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL in his contract with the Baltimore Ravens, which averages $20 million. Edmunds is fourth with a deal that averages $18 million per season.

The Bears were using Smith at weak side linebacker and Edmunds will play middle linebacker. So we’re talking about slightly different roles. They’re both super-talented players. Smith wasn’t making a lot of game-changing plays before he left, but there wasn’t a lot of talent surrounding him. The Bears are still in the process of trying to stock a defense that was lacking a year ago.

Edmunds has one thing Eberflus really covets: great length. He’s 6-foot-5, 250 pounds with 34 1/2-inch arms. The Bears haven’t had a player like Edmunds in the middle of the field since Brian Urlacher. Don’t make that comparison because it wouldn’t be fair to either player. We’ll see if Edmunds can more consistently make plays on the ball in Eberflus’ scheme than he did for the Buffalo Bills. If that happens, the Bears will be in a good spot.

Does it make sense to potentially add another starting wide receiver? Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney aren’t guaranteed to be on the field. — @chrisfjensen

Where are you going to find a starting wide receiver at this time of year? And don’t say DeAndre Hopkins. The Bears have consistently said they expect both to be ready for the start of training camp. I would be more interested in seeing what rookie Tyler Scott or even Velus Jones can do than signing some player who is on the street.

Though he will likely never see playing time if he even makes the team, how did Tyson Bagent look in the OTAs and minicamp. What did you see or hear? — Robert T., Spring Grove

The No. 4 quarterback doesn’t get many reps in the offseason program and he’s not going to get a lot in training camp. You don’t hear a lot about an undrafted rookie quarterback from Division II.

I will say this: Bagent doesn’t look out of place when he throws the ball. Sometimes you see camp arms or quarterbacks in the spring and they clearly can’t deliver the ball. Bagent looks the part. We’ll see how much action he gets in the summer and preseason. Bagent is going to have to prove he can improve while relying on mostly mental reps. It’s a difficult spot to be in but it’s what quarterbacks at the bottom of the depth chart deal with.