Steelers Insider Brooke Pryor Said Chase Claypool And His T-Rex Arms Brought Massive Divide Interally

The Pittsburgh Steelers might have made one of the trades of the century when they sent Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears in October of 2022. The deal was pulled off just prior to the trade deadline, by Steelers' new General Manager Omar Khan. In return for Claypool, the Bears gave Pittsburgh a 2023 second-round pick that they ultimately used to select Joey Porter Jr.

Claypool had a significant decline in productivity that started after his rookie season, so most believed moving on from him was the right thing to do. During his two and a half seasons in Pittsburgh, Claypool had 153 catches for 2,044 yards and 12 touchdowns. Unfortunately, nine of those touchdowns came during his rookie season. 

Since arriving in Chicago midway through 2022, he had 14 receptions for 140 yards and zero touchdowns. His low production is being called out by his critics who say it is a side effect of his lack of work ethic. While the Steelers receivers were working all offseason with quarterback Kenny Pickett trying to improve, Claypool was seen playing in Paris and making sarcastic videos. Of course, everyone deserves to have downtime, but when the spotlight is on you with a new team, you need to show them you take this seriously. 

Steelers Insider Brooke Pryor Says That Chase Claypool Being Gone Is "Addition By Subtraction"

Steelers insider, and ESPN reporter, Brooke Pryor was on a recent episode of NFL On ESPN, This Is Football,  with Jarrett Payton and host Kevin Clark. While discussing how they think the Steelers will perform in 2023, the topic of the Claypool trade came up. 

Payton, who is the son of Walter Payton, said that he was excited about the trade and he was hoping that Claypool would perform well in a new environment. They all agreed that this is a make-or-break year for him and that he needs to stay healthy. 

According to Payton, it's odd, for a wide receiver with such a big frame, 6'4" and about 238 pounds, to struggle to win the jump ball contest and come down on his feet. Pryor agrees with him saying it was an issue in Pittsburgh as well. He should be extending his arms above shorter defenders to get the ball and "Mossing" people.

"Yeah, it's the T-Rex arms," said Pryor.

She added that it was more than just some of his on-field physical issues, it became a frustration that pervaded everything. The pressure Claypool felt, Pryor believes, only made matters worse for him. She thinks he contributed to the Steelers' poor performance early in the season.  

"He had such a great rookie season and then it just didn't continue. I think that he felt like it should and things were not clicking for him on the field. He got frustrated and he was frustrated in the offense. One of the biggest reasons the Steelers were better in the second half of the year and went from 2-6 to 7-2 after the bye was the Chase Claypool trade, that was addition by subtraction."

By taking a negative Claypool and his frustrations out of the locker room, it helped to boost morale. Pryor points out that Claypool was extremely vocal that he wasn't happy with how often he was getting the ball. He would openly complain, but wasn't accepting responsibility for his shortcomings such as drops or interceptions when he should have been there. 

"For the Steelers, they had a lot of internal discord, a lot of that was from the frustration of Claypool. I think that one trade, when you look at the totality of the Steelers season, and where they are right now, that was kind of the point at which Omar Khan said, 'I'm the GM of this team.' That one trade set in motion for this team to be in a really good position," according to Pryor.

All of this, from the Claypool trade to the pick up of Porter Jr. and the ability to move up and get Broderick Jones, sets the Steelers up to be a force in the AFC North and even make the playoffs.  

Did you see Claypool as such a toxic force in the locker room? Do you believe that the trade with the Bears is the lynchpin on what turned this season around? Click to comment below.

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