Bills Central

Jokes aside, Bills' signing of Chase Claypool is a low-risk, high-reward move

The Buffalo Bills have signed veteran Chase Claypool to a mixed reaction from national pundits and those on social media.

McKenna Middlebrook

Dec 24, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chase Claypool (83) warms up
Dec 24, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chase Claypool (83) warms up / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
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The Buffalo Bills announced they signed veteran wide receiver Chase Claypool on a one-year deal Friday, receiving a wide array of reactions from those across the NFL landscape. Some pundits believe that the current state of the Bills wide receiver room leaves a bit to be desired (even with the selection of Keon Coleman in the 2024 NFL Draft). The signing of the 6-foot-4 Canadian seems to make plenty of sense, as Claypool has all the genetic gifts needed to be a top-tier receiver in the NFL. So adding another seemingly jump ball specialist to the receiver room can’t be a bad thing, right? 


Buffalo has become somewhat of a rehab facility for those who need to turn their careers around in the NFL, see backup quarterback, Mitch Trubisky. And under the Sean McDermott-Brandon Beane era they haven’t been afraid to take swings on high-risk players, see O.J. Howard. But, this signing has come under plenty of scrutiny due to the production and personality of Claypool.

Claypool’s 2020 rookie season with the Steelers was certainly his best; he racked up over 800 receiving yards and eleven total touchdowns. He followed that up with a sophomore season of over 900 total yards, but his touchdown production dropped significantly to just two total touchdowns. Since then, his career has floundered after being traded to Chicago from Pittsburgh during the 2022 season, and then being traded to Miami in the 2023 season. Since his sophomore season, he’s amassed an unimpressive 607 total yards from scrimmage and just one total touchdown. 

Ouch.

Outside of the obvious drop-off in production, Claypool was called out during his time in Chicago for 'not being easy to work with’ during team meetings and ‘not buying in’ to the offensive system while he was with the Bears, according to an NBC Sports report. Thus leading him to be traded for the second time in eleven months to the Miami Dolphins.

Ouch, again.

So where does this leave the Bills, their general manager Brandon Beane, and their star quarterback Josh Allen? An uncertain waiting period.

If Claypool buys into what the Bills are trying to do offensively, which shouldn't be that be that difficult because Buffalo has been top five offense in both yards and touchdowns in the last three seasons, he could be a productive cog in a prolific offense. If Claypool doesn’t buy into the Buffalo offense (or more importantly, its culture) Beane has shown how ruthless he can be to those who aren’t willing to play their part. 

At the end of the day, there's no risk to this signing. If he doesn't buy into the culture, the Bills can move on, and no one's the wiser. If he buys in and is even a fraction of the player we saw in 2020 and 2021, he could carve out targets in a revamped Buffalo passing attack that, at this point, looks as though it's going to rely heavily on youth.

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McKenna Middlebrook
MCKENNA MIDDLEBROOK