Chase Claypool is beginning the new chapter of his NFL career with the Chicago Bears after the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled the trigger and traded him to the NFC North team ahead of the trade deadline for a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Claypool's NFL career looked bright from the get-go with the Steelers in his rookie season back in 2020, as he recorded 873 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 62 receptions and 109 targets. The following year, Chase Claypool produced 860 yards but only had a pair of touchdowns on 59 catches and 105 targets. The downward trend for Claypool continues in 2022 in which he has only collected 311 receiving yards and a touchdown across eight games with the Steelers.
That lack of production eventually factored in the Steelers' decision to move on from Chase Claypool, who offered an explanation about why it did not do as well as he wanted to for his career over in Pittsburgh.
Via Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports Chicago:
“I tried a new position this year in the slot,” said Claypool. “I was outside for my first two years. It wasn’t quite the best fit but it wasn’t the worst either.”
A convenient excuse for Chase Claypool would be the huge change in the Steelers' quarterback situation. The Steelers went from Ben Roethlisberger to Mitchell Trubisky and now to Kenny Pickett. Pittsburgh hasn't been this unstable under center for quite a long time before Big Ben retired, so that certainly played a significant part in Claypool's regression.
In any case, Chase Claypool is now with the Bears, where he will look to rejuvenate his career as one of Justin Fields' top downfield targets.
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