Notre Dame in the NFL: Bears unsatisfied with Chase Claypool?

by:Jack Soble•06/17/23•

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The Chicago Bears have publicly praised former Notre Dame receiver Chase Claypool. Per NBC Sports Chicago, that includes each of the following people: offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, receivers coach Tyke Tolbert and, perhaps most importantly, quarterback Justin Fields.

Behind the scenes, according to ESPN 1000’s Marc Silverman, some in the organization aren’t so pleased.

“I have heard from a few people inside that building that he is not somebody who is very self-motivated,” Silverman said on his radio show, “Waddle & Silvy.” “All I can tell you is it isn’t trending in a way that the Bears have wanted it to trend this offseason.”

Claypool, after three up-and-down seasons with the Steelers, came to Chicago in a midseason trade last year for a second-round pick. That pick ended up being No. 32 overall, and Pittsburgh used it to select Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr.

After a disappointing first half-season in Chicago, Claypool has been in and out of Organized Team Activities and mandatory minicamp with a soft tissue injury. By all accounts, that was a big part of Claypool’s struggles last season: neither he nor Fields were healthy at the same time for long enough to build chemistry.

Hopefully for Chicago, Claypool can stay healthy, prove skeptics wrong and get himself paid in a contract year.

Ronnie Stanley, Romeo Okwara finally healthy, feeling good

On the positive side of ex-Irish news, both Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and Lions edge rusher Romeo Okwara feel as healthy as they’ve been in years. Stanley was an All-Pro in 2019 and Okwara had a 10-sack season in 2020, but neither have played much since then due to an ankle injury and a torn achilles, respectively.

When either have played, they haven’t been as effective as their organizations know they can be. This offseason, though, has provided reason for optimism.

“I think I’m at an even better spot, honestly,” Okwara said during mandatory minicamp, according to DetroitLions.com. “I’ve hit the recovery process hard, and I feel like I made great strides on that front.”

“He is moving better,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “With the Achilles, everyone is a little different with how they come back from them. And certainly he’s moving better than even he did at the end of last year.”

Stanley told reporters earlier this week, per NFL.com, that he feels as good as he did since before injuring his ankle.

“The majority of my time, the past couple years, have been spent on rehab.,” Stanley said at minicamp. “Eighty percent of that offseason time and 20% on training. I’ve been able to really put most of my time on training and building and getting stronger, getting more endurance, and just becoming an overall better athlete. [It’s] been a big difference for me.”

Tranquill impressing at OTAs

In Kansas City, former Notre Dame linebacker Drue Tranquill has earned praise from defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, according to Chiefs Wire.

“They’re doing a great job,” Spagnuolo said, regarding Tranquill and former 49ers edge rusher Charles Omenihu. “They’re terrific, both of those guys are pros, real intelligent football players (and I’m) really happy with what they’ve done to this point and where they’re at. I’m glad we got them.”

Spagnuolo went on to say Tranquill has “made a lot of plays” in the Chiefs’ offseason activities.

After the Chargers took him in the fourth round, Tranquill worked his way into a starting job in Year 4, where he was quite productive. He finished the 2022 season with 146 tackles and five sacks, earning him a one-year contract with the Chiefs.

Tranquill will have to compete with incumbent starters Willie Gay Jr. and the well-educated Nick Bolton for playing time in Kansas City, but it looks like he’s on the right track.

Nick McCloud could be “new Julian Love” with the Giants

Here’s a two-for-one, because Love — also a former Notre Dame defensive back — seems to be fitting in well with Seattle, where he signed after four successful seasons in New York. His apparent Giants replacement, Nick McCloud, is impressing his coaches and teammates this offseason.

“I think Nick is a Swiss Army knife,” cornerback Adoree Jackson said, according to the New York Post. “A guy that is going to do whatever you ask him to do, and he’s going to do it at a high level. Nick never puts his head down, never wavers, never being woe is me. Just like, ‘Coach, what do you need me to do?’”

McCloud bounced around a bit after spending the 2020 season at Notre Dame, with short stints in Buffalo and Cincinnati. He found a home in New York, where he started eight games at cornerback in 2022.

He looks like he could start at safety for the Giants in 2023.