After being a healthy scratch in Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears receiver Chase Claypool will not be with the team this week as it prepares for a Thursday Night Football game against the Washington Commanders, coach Matt Eberflus said Monday. Here’s what you need to know:

• Eberflus told Claypool not to come to the facility this week. “We thought this was best for the team,” he said.
• The team asked Claypool not to attend Sunday’s game, which Chicago lost 31-28.
• Claypool, who was acquired by Chicago for a second-round pick at the trade deadline last season, has 18 receptions in 10 games with the Bears.

How we got here

Both Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles called Claypool on Saturday to inform him that he would not be active against the Broncos. Eberflus did not say how Claypool reacted to that news.

“We’ll keep it there,” Eberflus said Monday. “It’s between me and him.”

Eberflus said he and the Poles also called Claypool early Monday to tell him he would stay home during the week while the Bears prepared for the Washington Chiefs at Halas Hall. Claypool will not play in the game.

“I would just say we thought this was what was best for the team,” Eberflus said.

He repeated that message several times during his press conference.

“I would say what we think is best for the team. And how we operate here as a football team. The Chicago Bears. When I came here the first day, I talked about being on time and about respect and hard work. And that to me is important for every individual, whether it’s an employee “Or a player or a coach. This is where we are. We feel now that this is the best decision for us.”

Claypool said Friday that he doesn’t think the Bears have put him in the best position to take advantage of his skill set.

“I can’t say it’s not the perfect place for me,” Claypool said. “Obviously there are other places. You can say: ‘Oh, I want to be in the best offense with the highest number of yards.’ But that doesn’t happen in football. You just have to make up for what you get.

There’s more to Claypool than sitting on the bench and inevitably walking away from what he said about his coaches last week. Eberflus said he had no reaction to what Claypool said. Instead, Eberflus was more passionate about what happened — or didn’t happen — in meetings, outings and practices with Claypool.

“We have a standard for that; “We have standards for that,” Eberflus said. “And if those standards are met, everything will be fine. If it’s not, it’s not.”

Claypool was widely criticized earlier this season after clips from a Week 1 game in Chicago showed Claypool barely appearing to attempt a block or run routes against the Green Bay Packers. Claypool later apologized to his teammates.

Required reading

(Photo: Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)