COLUMBUS, Ohio — Much like his teammates, Chase Claypool enjoyed a great start to last season. Unlike his teammates, he finished his rookie year the same way.
Claypool wore out the Browns’ secondary in the regular-season finale and wild-card playoff game, catching a combined 10 passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns. Both games ended in Steelers’ losses, including an embarrassing 48-37 setback at Heinz Field in the postseason that featured five turnovers. Claypool’s final TD came in garbage time.
At least from a national perspective, expectations aren’t high for the Steelers in the coming season with some pundits picking them to finish behind the Ravens and Browns. It’s a different story with Claypool, the strapping 6-foot-3, 238-pound receiver, who completed his first season with 11 touchdowns (nine receiving) and 14.08 yards per catch.
Some predict the British Columbia native will emerge as Ben Roethlisbeger’s favorite target in what is a deep receiving corps. His combination of size and speed could create matchup problems for defenders, particularly if Matt Canada makes use of him in the slot as our Dale Lolley hinted.
Most coaches agree players show their biggest improvement from their first to second seasons as they gain experience and grow more comfortable in their roles. Claypool registered 62 receptions for 873 yards and nine TDs — his receiving touchdowns ranking him first among rookies and his yardage and receptions placing him fourth.
But let’s curb the hype a bit on a breakout second campaign. Claypool easily could show improvement without his numbers taking drastic leaps. Roethlisberger was very good last season at spreading the ball around to his bevy of targets that includes Diontae Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Eric Ebron and James Washington. The addition of rookie tight end Pat Frierermuth and running back Najee Harris gives Roethlisberger even more variety in the passing game.
The bigger factor, however, is a greater emphasis on running the ball. After three consecutive seasons of dreadful rushing attacks, the Steelers are clearly intent on being more balanced offensively. They didn’t draft Harris No. 25 overall for his blocking and pass-catching ability.
All Steelers’ receivers have to understand their targets and individual statistics could take a hit for the good of the team. That includes the dynamic Claypool, who figures to be a deep-ball weapon as his career unfurls.
Where Claypool could demonstrate progress beyond the numbers is with reliability and maturity.
The Steelers were plagued by dropped passes last season totaling 30, according to figures compiled by the Washington Post, ranking them second behind only the Cowboys (31). Johnson led the league with 13. One way Claypool could make himself a more inviting target in the eyes of his quarterback is continuing to catch the ball. While ranking third on the team in drops (six), they occurred on just 5.5 percent of his targets, according to Pro-Football Reference.
Off the field, the Steelers probably want their 22-year-old receiver to show growth, as well. Claypool was involved in a fight outside a California bar in March, the highlights of which found their way to TMZ. After their playoff elimination, he also went on TikTok Live and said, “Bad loss, but the Browns are going to get clapped next week (by the Chiefs), so it’s all good.” Not a great look.
I can’t imagine what I would have put on social media had it been available when I was 22. (The internet wasn’t even invented yet.) But as his profile and importance to the Steelers expands, Claypool needs to be mindful of what he’s sharing with the public.
It all sets up for an interesting second season for the Notre Dame product. There’s no reason to think he can’t evolve into one of the league’s top receivers in the coming years, but it might take another season or so to separate himself in the Steelers’ receivers room.
Claypool is capable of a 75-catch, 1,000-yard season if Roethlisberger throws more deep balls with accuracy. But again, growth won’t just be measured in stats with Claypool.
YOUR TURN: What are reasonable expectations for Claypool in his second season?