Bills Central

Bills sign once-promising second-round WR

The Buffalo Bills have signed former Pittsburgh Steelers standout Chase Claypool to a one-year deal.

Kyle Silagyi

Dec 17, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chase Claypool (83)
Dec 17, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chase Claypool (83) / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
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The Buffalo Bills have added a notable name to its receiving corps, signing free agent wide receiver Chase Claypool to a one-year deal.

The team announced the signing on social media Friday morning.

Claypool is just a few years removed from being one of the more promising young wide receivers in the NFL; he caught 62 passes for 873 yards and nine touchdowns for the Pittsburgh Steelers in his rookie season after the black and yellow selected him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. While he never looked like a true alpha wideout, his size (6-foot-4, 238 pounds), physicality, and production suggested that he would have a spot in the NFL for the foreseeable future.

They’re called ‘suggestions’ for a reason, as Claypool lost favor in the Steel City quickly. Though his receiving numbers were largely identical between his first and second seasons, his scoring regressed, as he found paydirt just twice. Concerns regarding his on-field effort surfaced in the 2022 NFL season, with this, in conjunction with the emergence of rookie receiver George Pickens, prompting Pittsburgh to trade him to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a second-round draft pick at the trade deadline.

Related: S Cole Bishop named Bills' 'best value pick' in 2024 NFL Draft

Claypool wouldn’t stick in Chicago either, as he was traded to the Miami Dolphins in the 2023 NFL season after catching just 18 passes over 10 games with the Bears. He hit free agency after catching just four balls in Miami.

It’s an interesting throw at the dartboard for Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane, who hopes to uncover the promise that Claypool, now just 25 years of age, showed early in his career. He’s most likely a training camp body, but there are targets to be earned in the Bills’ receiving corps; Buffalo moved on from Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis in the offseason, and after Khalil Shakir, the recently-signed Curtis Samuel, and rookie Keon Coleman, Buffalo’s depth chart is full of question marks. 

A Claypool career resurgence shouldn’t be expected, but it’s an interesting storyline nevertheless. At the very least, the Bills’ social media team should get some entertaining Tim Hortons-centric content out of the Abbotsford, BC native.

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Kyle Silagyi
KYLE SILAGYI