Wide receiver Chase Claypool’s career has not unfolded as hoped over the last few years.
Claypool was a second-round pick in Pittsburgh in 2020 and he had two strong years for the Steelers, but he was less productive in 2022 and wound up being traded to the Bears for a second-round pick at midseason. He would play 10 games for the team and caught 18 passes for 191 yards before being dealt to the Dolphins for a seventh-round pick in the middle of last season. Claypool had four catches in nine games for Miami and became a free agent this offseason.
The Bills took a flier on Claypool as they worked to remake their receiving corps this offseason and he’s made a good early impression on head coach Sean McDermott. McDermott said the wideout is “on a mission right now to reclaim what he once was” and Claypool agreed that he’s motivated to show that those early flashes of potential were not false hope.
“I think it is tough believing the player that you are or can be, and falling short of those expectations, especially over the last two years, for sure,” Claypool said, via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com. “It is a tough position because I know there’s times where it can be frustrating if I’m not living up to my potential. But if it’s frustrating to the outside world, it’s even more frustrating for me. I understand where I should be. And I understand that I haven’t met those expectations. And that’s why I work harder and harder and harder and harder every year so I can meet and exceed those expectations.”
With Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and second-round pick Keon Coleman also joining the team this offseason, there’s a lot to sort out in the Buffalo receiving corps in the coming months. That’s a better situation that trying to break into a settled group, but it remains to be seen if Claypool can take advantage of it.
