WR Chase Claypool looks forward to a ‘clean slate’ with Bills

The team’s new receiver certainly nailed his introductory press conference after Tuesday’s practice, saying all the right things about his latest — and possibly final — opportunity in the NFL.

“I think it’s hard to believe the player you are or can be, and not live up to those expectations, especially over the last couple of years, of course,” Claypool said. “It’s a difficult position, because I know there are times when it can be frustrating if I don’t live up to my potential – but if it’s frustrating to the outside world, it’s still more frustrating for me. I understand where I should be and I understand that I haven’t met those expectations. That’s why I work harder and harder every year – so I can meet and exceed those expectations.

If that happens, the Bills will get a bargain. Claypool signed a one-year contract with the club for a minimum salary of $1.135 million, which only included a $25,000 signing bonus. For that money, it’s worth seeing if he can return to the form he showed during his two years in the NFL with Pittsburgh. Otherwise, it would only cost $25,000 in dead money against the salary cap.

A second-round pick out of Notre Dame in 2020, Claypool was an immediate contributor for the Steelers. As a rookie, he was targeted 109 times, finishing with 62 catches for 873 yards and nine receiving touchdowns. He followed that in 2021 by catching 59 passes (on 105 targets) for 860 yards with two touchdowns.

Claypool scored 10 touchdowns, including two rushing touchdowns, in his first 10 games with the Steelers, but over the next 29 games he would reach the end zone only four times. Pittsburgh traded him to Chicago midway through his third season for a second-round pick. This deal proved disastrous for the Bears, as Claypool only managed 18 catches for 191 yards and one touchdown in 10 games over two seasons.

He was traded again in 2023, this time moving from the Bears to the Dolphins for a trade of late-round picks in 2025. Before leaving Chicago, Claypool publicly questioned whether the Bears coaching staff was using him in the right way.

“I learned from all my mistakes,” he said. “I feel like every time you make a mistake or every time you have mishaps, you have to learn from it, and if you learn from it, you learn from it. So, I think that’s what I did. There will be good days and bad days, but I think it’s important to learn from the bad days and build on the good days and you will eventually get to where you want to be.

It wasn’t Miami for Claypool. He played in nine games for the Dolphins, finishing with just four catches for 26 yards. Claypool was essentially an afterthought, relegated primarily to special teams. But it turned out to be a valuable personal experience.

It “made me realize my love for the game,” Claypool said. “Because even though I wasn’t doing anything that I wanted to do or expected to do, on special teams and that type of thing at the time, I realized how much I love football .”

Claypool is also self-aware. At some point, the phone stops ringing with job offers, and now on his fourth team in the last three seasons, Claypool is getting dangerously close.

“I understand my situation. I understand any opportunity I have to help the team win, I have to jump at that opportunity, so special teams is one of those things,” he said. “If I make all four units, it’s amazing because it means I’m helping the team in one way or another.

“When I had the opportunity to be there, I loved it, even though it was a kick return, a kickoff. It’s just about making the most of about your situation and liking what you do For example, if I didn’t like the game it would be easy to fold I just think since I like the game it’s cool as long as I. have an opportunity there.

He’ll get that with the Bills, who have undergone a significant change in the wide receiver roster since the end of last season. Only one receiver who caught a pass for the Bills last season, Khalil Shakir, is still on the list. That means it will be a clean slate at training camp for those hoping to find a job. Head coach Sean McDermott was very complimentary of the work Claypool has done since signing with the Bills on May 3.

“Very impressed with Chase,” McDermott said. “Really, I’m just getting started with his approach, here’s a veteran receiver, former high pick, who’s been on a journey…I applaud Chase for coming here to see where things are going.

“He’s very focused, he works extremely hard day in and day out and embraces not only the wide receiver role he could play for us, but also the special teams role he could play for us. You don’t find many things in the NFL where a player has reached a certain level and then is on a mission right now to reclaim what he once was in that regard. … He’s been a good addition to our team.

The Bills were interested in Claypool earlier in free agency, but waited until after the draft before making a move. General manager Brandon Beane ended up taking just one receiver, Florida State’s Keon Coleman, with the first second-round pick, and Claypool signed the following week.

By joining the Bills, Claypool, 25, will get the chance to play with quarterback Josh Allen, giving him his best situation since being paired with Ben Roethlisberger as a rookie with the Steelers. He also likes the similarities between Buffalo and Pittsburgh – two Rust Belt cities known for their loyal fans.

“When you come to Buffalo, it’s football all the time,” he said. “I really like it – like Pittsburgh and places like Green Bay, where there might not be a lot going on, but it’s totally fine. You know, that’s kind of what we do and what we get paid to do. So Buffalo gives me the opportunity to work as hard as I can and make the people around me proud.

In the first spring practice open to the media, Claypool made one of the highlight catches of the day, rising to catch cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram. It was a small sign of the type of athletic ability the 6-foot-4, 238-pounder possesses. After practice, Claypool kept the game in good perspective, saying he would be more excited if he could consistently do things like that in training camp.

His first two seasons showed that, when used correctly, Claypool can find success in the NFL. It is now a matter of perpetuating it.

“There are inefficiencies in everyone’s game, and you have to be able to realize that,” he said. “I know my inefficiencies and the things I need to work on.”

Claypool has been struck by the family atmosphere of the Bills since his arrival – something he considers easy to talk about, but much harder to talk about in reality. McDermott’s tradition of having new players address the entire team, explaining their background and where they came from, continued. Claypool hasn’t had his turn yet, but believes the sessions have allowed him to connect on a deeper level with his new teammates.

Given that one of the obstacles placed on him has been his presence in the locker room, having a fresh start and a new perspective in a new city has been extremely beneficial.

“I love how they treat me like family right away. I don’t come with any baggage from the outside world,” Claypool said. “It’s frustrating, especially when it’s so far from the truth, I would say, but I’m not here to prove that I’m not who they say I am, I’m just here to be who I am. am and part of the team. I’m not trying to prove anyone wrong or right; I’m just who I am. Teammates know what kind of guy I am, and so do the coaches.