Getty Chase Claypool warms up before a Chicago Bears game.
Buffalo Bills receiver Chase Claypool looked like a budding star through his first two NFL seasons, but saw his production steadily decline afterward as he hit a major slump.
The veteran receiver hopes to turn things around this season.
Claypool signed a one-year deal with the Bills this offseason, giving him the chance to compete for a significant role in an offense that lost both of its top receivers this offseason. The former second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers said he is well aware that his career has fallen short of expectations, but hopes to get back on track this year.
Chase Claypool Struggled After Initial Success
Claypool had a strong start to his career, making 121 catches for 1,733 yards and 11 touchdowns through his first two seasons in Pittsburgh. But he failed to replicate the success, watching his role shrink before being traded to the Chicago Bears the following season.
Claypool was traded again last season, ending the season with the Miami Dolphins and making just 8 catches for 77 yards and 1 touchdown for the season. The 25-year-old wide receiver said he has been working harder to get out of the slump and put his career back on track.
“If it’s frustrating to the outside world [not living up to his potential], it’s even more frustrating for me,” Claypool said, via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg. “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 could have a big opportunity in Buffalo with an offense that traded No. 1 wide receiver Stefon Diggs and lost No. 2 Gabe Davis in free agency. Bills wide receivers coach Adam Henry said he believes the replacement squad is coming together well, a mix of veterans and younger promising pass-catchers like rookie receiver Keon Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid.
“The vibe is really good [in the receiver room], because the way I see it, receivers, they all play a certain part, and they’re all not the same, and so that’s what makes it great,” Henry said. “And so, there’s a lot of experience in there just to pull ’em to the side. … The room is really coming together and just creating a culture.”
Bills Could Lean on Veteran Receivers
Though the Bills have made big investments into their pass-catching group — using a first-round pick on Kincaid last year and a second-round pick on Coleman this year — general manager Brandon Beane warned that they won’t heap too much responsibility on the rookie this season.
While Beane praised the work Coleman put in through the team’s early practices, he said it could take a while for him to build the necessary rapport with quarterback Josh Allen.
Interesting answer from #Bills GM Brandon Beane when asked about star rookie WR Keon Coleman 🤔
“But I see a guy who is working hard, who is competitive. You guys have gotten to know his personality, he’s genuine, that’s truly who he is,” Beane told reporters at the conclusion of minicamp this week, via reporter Dov Kleiman on X. “Like anything, he’s going to have bumps in the road. He’s a rookie, and I think we all need to understand that. I think he and Josh are working on that rapport that’s going to be necessary between quarterback and receiver.”