It's crisis time in Buffalo. In just one offseason, the Buffalo Bills' wide receiver room was completely gutted. Both Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis departed the team during the 2024 offseason. Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans for a pittance, while Davis signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. That leaves Buffalo with a gigantic void at WR. They did their best to address this in the draft, but it seems like it's not enough.
With that in mind, the Bills are looking to sign yet another wide receiver. This time, they are looking at a bit of a reclamation project. Chase Claypool, the former Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears WR, was signed by the Bills, per Ari Meirov. Claypool last played for Buffalo's AFC East rival Miami Dolphins.
“The #Bills signed WR Chase Claypool. Another target for Josh Allen.”
Claypool has been a journeyman over the last few years, with stops in Chicago and Miami over the last two seasons. This wasn't supposed to be the case: at one point, Claypool was considered to be one of the team's franchise cornerstones. Inconsistent play, a bad attitude, and lack of motivation pushed him out of Pittsburgh, and he's struggled to find a home since. The Bills are giving Chase Claypool a prove-it deal to see what he can bring to the table.
In his first two seasons, Claypool reached over 800 yards for the Steelers. That's the production that the Bills are hoping to get out of the wide receiver. In the last two seasons, though, he's only amassed a total of 538 yards. There are several factors at play here, but that's still concerning nonetheless.
Bills' nightmare offseason
The Bills initially lost Davis to free agency at first. While it was a tough blow, Buffalo was equipped to part ways with the WR. After all, they still had Diggs at the time, and they could always use the draft to reload on wide receiver prospects.
However, Diggs' unhappiness with the Bills reached a boiling point. That, coupled with an unwillingness to pay Diggs what he wants, motivated Buffalo to trade the star wide receiver for a 2025 second-round pick. That trade left Buffalo with a dearth of talent at the wide receiver position.
Granted, that doesn't mean that the Bills don't have good pass catchers on the team. Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox might just be the best receiving tight end duo in the league. 12-personnel sets will likely be more common for Buffalo. Khalil Shakir is no slouch either. Still, the last few years have proven that a team needs a true WR1 or a solid collection of WRs to succeed. The Bills did not have that.
Now, though, Buffalo might be on to something. Rookie Keon Coleman might be turning heads with his hilarious interviews, but don't sleep on his pass-catching abilities. We already talked about Shakir; his blazing speed is the perfect weapon for Allen's arm. They also signed ex-Commanders WR Curtis Samuel, who was solid for Washington last season. Claypool is likely to get more touches here, and if he brings back his rookie season form, that's a pretty solid fringe WR1 candidate right there.
That being said, there's no guarantee that the Claypool signing will work out. There's a reason why he's only been able to earn prove-it deals at this point. Many feel like his attitude is not worth his production. Can Claypool rehabilitate his image on a title contender and prove his doubters wrong.
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