Chase

Claypool

In a social media post, the 26-year-old receiver explains that he “tore a ligament and tendon” in his second toe on his left foot and has “been rehabbing, working out, and recovering everyday for the past year.” This explains his extended absence. Following the injury, Claypool was briefly placed on injured reserve in August 2024 before being released with an injury settlement. He is “back to being the strongest and fastest” he’s ever been and is “excited to step back out on the field.”

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Valdes-Scantling’s X-rays came back negative for a fracture. A return-to-play timeline was not given but the news is positive overall. The Bills released fellow veteran WR Chase Claypool (toe) with an injury settlement last week. An extended absence for Valdes-Scantling would further thin the Bills’ star-less wide receiver corps.

Claypool was placed on injured reserve earlier this week after he spent much of training camp sidelined with a toe injury. The former second-round pick was hoping to catch on with the Bills after a failed stint with the Bears and Dolphins last season, but now he’ll be looking to catch on with another team once healthy. At 26 years old, Claypool’s career has gone off the rails ever since he was traded from the Steelers during the 2022 season. During the first two years of his career, Claypool totaled 121 receptions for 1,733 yards and 11 touchdowns. Since then, Claypool has posted a receiving line of 54-528-2 and is closer to being out of the league than he is sticking on a 53-man roster. He is free to sign with another team once healthy.

It technically ends Claypool’s season, at least until he is released with an injury settlement. He could re-sign with the Bills. What started as a promising summer for the journeyman wideout ends with a trip to injured reserve. Bills head coach Sean McDermott said in May that he had been “very impressed” with Claypool’s play at OTAs. He could catch on with another receiver-needy team once he parts ways with the Bills later this month.

The veteran journeyman has missed about a week of training camp with the toe injury. The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia told Patrick Daugherty and Denny Carter on Tuesday’s Rotoworld Football Show that Claypool’s absence has been a blow to his chances of making the final roster. Claypool had drawn praise from Buffalo coaches, including head coach Sean McDermott, before the toe issue. Unless he can return to practice in short order, Claypool probably won’t make the Bills Week 1 roster.

Knox’s return-to-play date is unknown but the “vet rest” labeling indicates the injury is not serious. McDermott also called WR Chase Claypool (toe) and RB Ty Johnson (hamstring) day-to-day. Both players have been sidelined since at least July 30th. Claypool is fighting to join the Bills’ evolving wide receiver rotation while Johnson attempts to fend off fourth-round rookie RB Ray Davis. Johnson’s injury could prove costly in this regard.

It’s just pad-less practices, but for a player hoping to contribute to a team more than he did in 2024, it’s a positive sign for Claypool, who entered the league as a second-round pick of the Steelers in 2020 but has already been labeled a journeyman. The fifth-year receiver is on his third team in two seasons and has totaled just 22 receptions for 217 yards and one touchdown since being traded to the Bears during the 2022 trade deadline. Claypool joined a rather thin receiver room earlier this offseason when he signed a one-year deal with the Bills. He joins veterans Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, along with rookie Keon Coleman, as new faces on the team. At just 25 years old, Claypool has a chance to contribute if he can get back to his rookie-year form in which he went for 62-873-9.

Claypool in 2023 had four receptions over nine games for the Dolphins after playing his way out of Chicago. He’s never reached the heights of his first couple NFL seasons, when he went for over 800 receiving yards and appeared to be a viable WR2 option. In both Miami and Chicago, Claypool reportedly had effort issues learning the playbook. Heading into his age-26 season, Claypool will look to carve out a role in Buffalo’s wide receiver room, which will be led by some combination of Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, and rookie Keon Coleman. It’s certainly possible Claypool won’t make the team this summer.

Claypool is on the verge of returning to the Dolphins and has a chance to suit up in Week 13 against the Commanders. The veteran receiver, however, is not on the fantasy radar, as he’s managed just one catch for 15 yards in three games with the Dolphins.

Claypool underwent a minor knee procedure ahead of Week 11. He has now missed two games because of the surgery but looks to be nearing a return. The Dolphins haven’t had a consistent WR3 at any point this year, and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon. Claypool is not on the fantasy radar, healthy or not.