Chase Claypool appeared to be the Steelers’ next great wide receiver after his first two seasons in the league, when he recorded 121 catches for 1,733 yards and 11 touchdowns.
But that has not been the case.
Midway through the 2022 season, Pittsburgh traded Claypool to the Bears for a second-round pick in what has since been dubbed one of the most lopsided moves in recent memory.
Claypool’s time with Chicago was brief, with only 18 receptions for 191 yards and one touchdown in ten games from 2022 to 2023.
The Bears eventually traded Claypool and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Dolphins for a 2025 sixth-round selection.
The former second-round pick went on to catch just four passes for 26 yards in Miami before hitting the open market this offseason.
Earlier this month, the Bills became the latest team to take a chance on Claypool as they work to rebuild their wide receiver corps.
It’s reasonable to assume he’s more determined than ever to turn his career around.
“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. “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.”
Claypool will have a difficult time seeing the field early and often because he will be joining a crowded room that includes Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Khalil Shakir, Mack Hollins, and second-round choice Keon Coleman.
However, he appears to have already piqued the interest of head coach Sean McDermott, who stated that Claypool is “on a mission right now to reclaim what he once was.”
It is unclear whether Claypool will return, but Buffalo is looking for a new No. 1 wide out following a turbulent offseason. For Claypool, it’s now or never.