The Pittsburgh Steelers have proven time and time again that they know how to find talent at the wide receiver position. In the last 25 years alone, guys like Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress, Antwaan Randle El, Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Martavis Bryant, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson and George Pickens were all drafted by the organization. That's an insanely impressive list of talent to have in one sentence. There, of course, have been some busts in there, but no one has fallen quicker from early hype and glory than 2020 second-rounder, Chase Claypool.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Former Steelers wide receiver, Chase Claypool warms up and stretches on the field at Acrisure Stadium prior to a 2022 regular season game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Pittsburgh, PA.
It has been a wild ride for the wide receiver. His NFL journey started out with a significant amount of pressure. He was able to find the end zone a total of 11 times in his rookie season and many believed that the Steelers had found their next franchise pass catcher. That all took a turn when ego, a strong social media presence and poor play got in the way.
Pittsburgh was fed up with his antics and traded him to the Chicago Bears right before the trade deadline in 2022. General Manager Omar Khan was somehow able to retrieve Chicago's second-round pick, which ended up being the 32nd overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. That pick was used to grab cornerback, Joey Porter Jr. out of Penn State University.
Claypool's career as a Bear was utterly pathetic. He had 18 total catches for 191 yards and just one touchdown in 10 games played. He was even a healthy inactive in Week 4 and Chicago came to the sad realization that he was nowhere near who they thought he was. Desperate to salvage a horrible trade on their end, General Manager Ryan Poles dealt him to the Miami Dolphins for essentially nothing.
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Former Steelers and Bears wide receiver, Chase Claypool (#10) stretches prior to an NFL matchup.
Claypool was inactive for two games, but made his way onto the active roster for the Dolphins' Week 7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He only played in 8% of the offensive snaps. In a shocking social media post from a fan, Claypool seems to literally be allergic to winning at this point in his career. Some may say he is a curse, if you believe in that kind of stuff.
Since trading Chase Claypool, the Bears are 2-1 and were 0-13 with him
— I🦃 (@ilannfl) October 23, 2023
The Dolphins were 5-1 before activating him and are 0-1 since activating him
The Steelers were 2-6 with him and are 11-4 since trading him
He’s won 2 games in the last 2 seasons and 0 in a year
That streak is bound to come to an end as Miami is one of the top contenders in a jam-packed AFC, but it almost seems like a made up stat that he hasn't been a part of an active roster during a win since Pittsburgh's 2022 Week 6 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He will look to get in the win column as the Dolphins host the New England Patriots in Week 8.
There is no doubt that both the Steelers and Bears played and are playing better since moving on from Claypool. His career is on thin ice and he doesn't have much room to make an impact in Miami where Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle run the wide receiver show. It's crazy to think about how quickly his experience as a professional took a nosedive after 2020.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Former Steelers wide receiver, Chase Claypool shows up to a 2022 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Steelers Are Clear Winners In Claypool Saga
One thing is certain: the "Khan Artist" deserved his new nickname immediately after getting a second-round pick for Claypool. It is starting to look even better given the fact that Porter Jr. is playing well and primed for a starting role. The selection of the cornerback already led to one win as Porter Jr.'s huge interception in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens completely turned the game around.
Claypool will likely have a minimal role in Miami, but if anyone can get use out of his talents, it would be Mike McDaniel. The rest of 2023 will be critical for Claypool as he is going to be a free agent in 2024. At this point, it's not wild to come up with a scenario in which he is no longer in the NFL after four years. Someone in Miami better get the EpiPen ready because he's going to need a jolt to overcome his refusal to win.
Can you believe that Claypool hasn't been on an active roster during a win since being traded from the Steelers? Let us know in the comments below!
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