Chase Claypool was supposed to spend his Thursday back in Pittsburgh, suiting up for the Buffalo Bills as part of the team’s joint practice with the Steelers. Instead, he’ll spend it as a free agent, wondering where he’ll play next. If he’ll play next.
Claypool was released Thursday with an injury settlement, removed from IR after being placed there earlier this week due to a toe injury that caused him to miss a large chunk of training camp.
Though he’ll need to presumably get healthy first, he is now free to sign with any team. The question is if any team will want the former second-round pick. Once a rookie sensation, Chase Claypool has fallen from grace. Bouncing around from team to team, he’s spent time with three clubs since being dealt by the Steelers in November 2022. His time with the Chicago Bears was a mess and they dealt Claypool less than one year after trading a second-round pick for him, shipping him to Miami where he caught four passes in nine games.
A free agent for the first two months of the new league year, the Bills signed him in early May. But most of his time with Buffalo was spent on the sidelines. After impressing during pad-less OTA practices, Claypool injured his toe in early August and never practiced again. Buffalo finally waived/injured him to open up a roster spot before reaching a settlement with him today.
Since the Steelers traded him, Claypool has caught just 22 passes. An oft-injured underachiever, it’s hard to see which team will sign him next. Perhaps he will end up in the CFL where the Saskatchewan Roughriders hold exclusive negotiation rights. That doesn’t mean Claypool is obligated to play north of the border, but it’s hard to see any NFL team use a roster spot on him for someone who has contributed so little the past 18 months. At best, he could land on a practice squad when midseason injuries strike.
Claypool is the second ex-Steelers wide receiver to be released over the past week. JuJu Smith-Schuster received his walking papers from the New England Patriots on Aug. 9.
