Bills reclamation project WR named among NFL veterans 'with most to prove' at OTAs

One outlet has identified Buffalo Bills WR Chase Claypool as a player with a lot to prove at this year's OTAs.

Dec 17, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chase Claypool (83) celebrates after defeating the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not often that a 25-year-old wide receiver who totaled 11 touchdowns in their rookie season is looked at as a reclamation project entering just their fifth professional campaign.

This unlikely scenario is not an abstract hypothetical for Chase Claypool, however—it’s reality.

The wideout was on top of the world at this time three years ago; as a recent second-round pick fresh off a rookie season in which he totaled 889 yards from scrimmage and 11 scores, he was widely viewed as one of the more promising young pass-catchers in the NFL.

Fast forward to today, and Claypool is with his fourth professional club in three years. He signed a one-year ‘prove-it’ deal with the Buffalo Bills in the 2024 offseason, joining a revamped receiving corps that the Claypool of 2020 would’ve been a shoo-in to feature prominently in.

The Claypool of today is fighting for a roster spot.

Related: Former Second-Round WR 'understands situation' in Bills' roster competition

Claypool’s fall from grace commenced in the 2021 season, a year in which his scoring regressed from 11 touchdowns to just two. Character concerns coinciding with the emergence of George Pickens made the wideout an expendable asset for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, and they traded him to the Chicago Bears at that year’s trade deadline. The character and effort concerns persisted, with Chicago ultimately trading him to the Miami Dolphins midway through the 2023 season.

The once-promising wideout tallied 121 receptions and 1,845 scrimmage yards throughout his first two professional seasons. He’s notched 54 receptions and 587 scrimmage yards in the two years since.

Chase Claypool incredibly honest about the path his career has taken.

"It is tough believing in the player you are or can be and falling short of those expectations."

Now the WR embracing whatever it takes to change as member of the #Bills. pic.twitter.com/Aa0WIRypgM

— Jon Scott (@JonScottTV) May 21, 2024

Buffalo is hoping to rekindle some of the promise that allowed Claypool to flourish just a few years ago, and if it’s able to, the wideout could be a significant contributor in a receiving corps that lost Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis in the offseason. Though far from a likelihood, there are reasons to be optimistic about Claypool’s opportunity in Western New York, for those who choose to be; Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox echoes this sentiment, identifying the young receiver as a player to monitor in a recent article about NFL veterans with the most to prove at OTAs.

“In Buffalo, Claypool will get to perform with a top-tier quarterback in Josh Allen,” Knox wrote. “However, he's also facing long odds just to make the team. Buffalo parted with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis this offseason but also brought in the likes of Mack Hollins, Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and rookie first-round pick Keon Coleman. Buffalo's No. 3 receiver from last season, Khalil Shakir, is also in the mix.

Related: Bills' Two New WRs reveal what makes Josh Allen so likable

“While the Bills' receiver room isn't an all-star group of established players, Claypool's contract makes him an easy cut candidate if he can't reestablish himself as a high-upside option.
Standout performances during OTAs could give Claypool the inside track to a complementary role, while a series of poor outings could have him on the bubble before camp even begins.”

Knox’s analysis is sound; with the Bills losing a combined 1,929 receiving yards from Diggs and Davis, there are targets and yards to be earned in Buffalo’s passing attack. Claypool has demonstrated the talent necessary to earn some of this target share in the past—he just hasn’t done so in quite some time.

If the receiver is able to develop a rapport with Josh Allen at OTAs, he could earn a spot in an inexperienced Bills’ receiving corps that could use a big-bodied, physical threat. If he fizzles out, he’ll be off the roster in August, and no one’s the wiser.