Chase Claypool didn't live up to expectations in his second NFL season. Not for fans. And certainly not for himself.
The Steelers' third-year wide receiver put up essentially the same numbers as he had as a rookie -- with the exception of touchdowns -- but knows the bar is set higher.
Just keeping the status quo in Year 3 of his NFL career won't suffice. Claypool knows he has to take a big step forward in 2022.
And to do that, he knows he has to do one big thing -- stay on his feet. It's hard to take a step, after all, when you're constantly on the ground.
"A lot of it was 50-50 balls, I wasn't staying on my feet. I need to stay on my feet," Claypool said Thursday as the Steelers wrapped up their third day of Phase 3 of their OTA sessions here at the UPMC-Rooney Sports Complex. "I need to get a little more (yards after the catch), and I can’t be dropping passes."
Those things were clearly issues for Claypool in 2021.
After catching 62 passes for 873 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie in 2020, Claypool posted 59 receptions for 860 yards and two scores in 2021.
The numbers were similar -- with the exception of the touchdowns -- but Claypool often didn't pass the eye test.
Instead of simply boxing out smaller corners using his 6-foot-4, 238-pound frame, Claypool often left his feet on deep passes last season, jumping unnecessarily.
That led to less yards after the catch and a lot of frustration. His catch percentage of 56.9 percent as a rookie fell to 56.2 percent despite his average depth of target falling from 13.2 to 11.4.
The closer a wide receiver gets to the line of scrimmage on his targets, the higher his percentage of catches should be. But it went the opposite way for Claypool in 2021.
He's been working hard to keep his feet on contested catches in 2022.
"I've been working all offseason on deep balls," Claypool said. "I've been trying to build the habit of staying on my feet. I don't know what was going on, but I got in a routine of making the catch and that's it. I want to make the catch and get yards after."
If he can do that, the touchdown production -- which was excellent in 2020 -- will return in 2022.
And Claypool will emerge as the kind of weapon the Steelers can rely on, not one that got himself thrown into a rotation late last season with now departed James Washington because of his struggles.
It reached a boiling point in a late-season loss at Minnesota. Claypool, who had eight penalties last season, was benched. Then, when he returned late in the game, he caught a fourth-down with the Steelers trailing and the clock running and took the time to stop and signal a first down instead of immediately getting back to the line of scrimmage.
Mike Tomlin was not happy with his second-year receiver.
"Last season had its ups and downs," Claypool said. "I know a lot of people are going to say I was terrible. There were some good things and some bad things. We learn from the bad things and get better."
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Washington and Ray-Ray McCloud all left in free agency. George Pickens and Calvin Austin were added in the second and fourth rounds of the draft to help mitigate those losses.
But while Diontae Johnson has emerged as the team's top target after catching 107 passes last season in his third year in the league, the Steelers need Claypool to make a similar jump -- and stay on his feet.
Pickens profiles as an outside receiver, as does Johnson, despite being smaller in size. That could mean more time for Claypool working out of the slot, something the Steelers toyed with at times last season.
Billed as a very good blocker coming out of Notre Dame, Claypool still needs to show that consistently at the NFL level. It was what made Smith-Schuster so dangerous working from the slot. And if the Steelers are to improve their running game, which ranked 29th in the league in 2021, they need better blocking from their wide receivers.
"I need to be more versatile, inside, outside," Claypool said. "I'm trying to work all positions. I'm trying to put myself in position that if I mess up a play, I can learn from that."
He's been a regular attendant at the team's voluntary OTA workouts. Claypool confirmed Johnson has not been with his teammates much this offseason as he goes into the final year of his rookie contract, perhaps hoping to get a big deal.
"I know Diontae is grinding no matter where he is," Claypool said. "I know a lot of people are looking into it, but I’m not looking into it too much. He’s perfecting his craft, and he’s going to play."
It allows the younger receivers -- and Claypool -- to get more snaps. It's also allowed Claypool to take on more of a leadership role.
With Smith-Schuster and Washington gone and Johnson not attending workouts thus far, Claypool has been more vocal in the wide receiver room.
It's something he wasn't necessarily comfortable with early in his career, when he was the young guy.
"This is the first time on the Steelers where I felt like my voice is being actively heard," he said. "I’m taking that seriously. I’m trying to help the young guys because I was there last year and two years ago."
He hopes it all leads to bigger -- and better -- things.
And perhaps people will forget the issues Claypool had in 2021.
"The numbers were similar, but I wasn't happy. I didn't take a big step back at all. I get it. I'll be good this year," he said.
"People spin it like I don't care. I do care. I do work my (butt) off every day. If I keep doing that, I'll be the best receiver in the league."