BY Nate Moser
The Buffalo Bills continued to remodel their wide receiver room on Friday, signing 25-year-old Chase Claypool to a one-year contract. This comes after the club also added to the position by drafting Keon Coleman with the first pick of the second round of the NFL Draft. The franchise also signed Curtis Samuel to a three-year deal, as well as Quintez Cephus and Mack Hollins for one year each.
There has been mixed reaction among Bills fans for adding Claypool to the mix. Many think that this was not a great signing, given Claypool’s track record in the NFL so far. Looking at it, there is definitely reason to be concerned. On the other hand, there are fans who think it is fine, because it is only a one-year contract that is essentially a prove-it deal with him. There is little-to-no risk at all. If he does not work out, move on to the next guy next season. No matter what side of the coin fans fall on, I think that both are right in their own ways.
One thing that some people can agree with though is that this is a solid chance for Claypool to really show what he can do. His career had started out promising. He was picked in the second round (49th overall) in the 2020 Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played his rookie season alongside some of the best to ever wear the Black and Gold in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and linebacker TJ Watt. He was inserted into a wide receiver room that included Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster. He fit right in and had a great rookie campaign. During the 2020 season, Claypool played in 16 games and started six of those. He had 62 receptions on the year for 873 yards, and topped all of it off with nine touchdowns. Things looked great to start, but then the stats changed once 2021 came around.
In Claypool’s second year with the Steelers, he started in 13 games for the team and got 59 receptions for 860 yards and only two touchdowns. It has not been the same for the young receiver since. 2022 saw Claypool get one touchdown in eight games for Pittsburgh, before he was dealt to the Chicago Bears for a 2023 second-round draft choice. He scored no touchdowns with the Bears to finish off that season, and he had a combined 451 yards from 46 receptions between both Pittsburgh and Chicago. 2023 saw no changes either, as the Bears would move on from Claypool as well just a few games into the campaign. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins this past October, along with a 2025 seventh-round pick, for Miami’s 2025 sixth-round choice. He only played in nine regular-season games for the Dolphins, getting just four receptions for 26 yards and recording no touchdowns. Between the Bears and Dolphins in total for 2023; Claypool started two games out of 12, got eight receptions for 77 yards and just one touchdown. Now, he finds himself on his fourth team since the start of the 2022 season.
The opportunities Claypool has had so far have not led to as much success as expected, but I believe that the Bills will prove how good of a talent he is, if there is any more talent to pull out of him. It starts with the quarterback they have in Josh Allen. Heading into his seventh season for the Bills, Allen has become one of the best at his position and has taken over as the face of the organization after Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly held that title for decades. While Allen does not have a Super Bowl championship yet on his resume, he has the abilities needed to help lead this team to the promised land. He helps make guys better around him. Stefon Diggs is a solid NFL wide receiver on his own, but having Allen throwing him the football made the Bills that much more dangerous. Along with Claypool, another new face wide receiver for Buffalo that I imagine will take off in production is Curtis Samuel. The best quarterback Samuel has probably played with to this point in his career is Cam Newton when he was on the decline. Allen will become the best quarterback that Samuel has played with come September, and I expect that to help put Samuel in better positions to succeed and put up career numbers. That same logic can be used with Claypool as well.
By no means am I saying Allen is definitely going to make Claypool into a star. What I am saying is that having a quarterback like Allen, and a core around him like what the Bills have with other guys like Samuel and Dalton Kincaid, the football world is going to find out whether or not Claypool has the tools required to become a star wide receiver, or whether he is going to be closer to a bust in the league. Time will tell about whether things will click on the Bills for Claypool. If they do not, it might be a tough road ahead when it comes time for him to find another NFL team come next offseason. Claypool is one of the interesting players to watch come training camp later on in the year.
The Sports Insanity Network 