Orchard Park is on Chase Claypool’s route back to NFL relevance.
A few years ago, the now 25-year-old was thought to be one of the NFL’s more exciting prospects. His fascinating 6-foot-3 frame and 4.42-second 40-yard dash suggested he would have a long-term role in the league.And the Notre Dame graduate did demonstrate early promise, as the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had taken him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, saw him catch 62 receptions for 873 yards and score 11 touchdowns in all during the season. In retrospect, it seemed that he was at the top of the world and only going to become better.
Claypool saw a decrease in his scoring during his second year, despite his scrimmage yardage going up. Due to concerns about his character and effort, exacerbated by the emergence of rookie George Pickens, Pittsburgh traded him to Chicago in 2022. However, similar concerns followed him to Chicago, where his performance remained lackluster. After a brief stint in Miami in 2023, catching only four passes, Claypool faces a crucial summer with the Buffalo Bills, as his future in the NFL hangs in the balance.
Claypool just signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills, becoming a member of the team’s reorganised receiving group without Gabriel Davis and Stefon Diggs. Even though Claypool has a slim chance of making Buffalo’s 53-man roster, the opportunity is still favourable because he will go off against players like Tyrell Shavers, Andy Isabella, KJ Hamler, Quintez Cephus, and Justin Shorter for a position towards the bottom of the team’s depth chart.
With Buffalo’s young receiving corps and Claypool’s proven talent, it is not outrageous to think that he may regain some of his old glory with the Bills. Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay, who named the Abbotsford, British Columbia native as one of six NFL players who could “shed [their] bust” reputation in the 2024 season, agrees.
