Chase Claypool is entering his fifth NFL season with his fourth different team. He had been impressive during OTAs, enough for Buffalo Bills beat reporter Matt Parrino to say he was the most consistent receiver on the roster. Unfortunately, his season may be over before it started as the Bills have placed Claypool on the Reserve/Injured list.
Selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Claypool showed immense promise his rookie season. He had 62 receptions for 873 yards and nine touchdowns that season. Those remain his single-season highs in all three categories. The Steelers traded him to the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick, which ended up becoming the first pick of the second round in the 2023 NFL Draft. They used that pick to select CB Joey Porter Jr.
Claypool only lasted about a year with the Bears before they shipped him to the Miami Dolphins as part of a late-round pick swap. It didn’t work out for him with the Bears or the Dolphins, but he seemed to be getting off to a great start with the Bills. He injured his toe and has missed most of training camp. His injury was described as day-to-day, but days missed turned into weeks missed before the Bills moved him to IR.
It was an interesting offseason for Claypool as he was added to an exclusive negotiating list by the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders. During one of the spring practices, Claypool told the media that he understands he hasn’t met expectations in his career. Playing with Josh Allen and the Bills seemed to be a decent opportunity for him given the number of receivers that left Buffalo this offseason.
As a part of this roster move, the Bills signed WR Deon Cain. Cain spent some time with the Steelers and was one of the top 10 receivers in the UFL this season with 436 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
