The Pittsburgh Steelers welcomed the Buffalo Bills to Acrisure Stadium for a joint practice prior to their second preseason matchup this weekend. Familiar faces like Mitch Trubisky and Damar Hamlin were in attendance, but the Bills were without one name many were interested in seeing return.
Following a toe injury, Chase Claypool did not travel with the Bills to Pittsburgh. Instead, the team placed him on Injured Reserve, ending an opportunity he had to make the 53-man roster and be part of the AFC East champions this season.
Now, the team has announced they have released Claypool on an injury settle. So, instead of Claypool spending the season on IR in Buffalo, he’s free to sign with another team once he’s recovered from his injury.
This is another bump in the road for the Steelers’ former second-round pick. Since his time in Pittsburgh ended with a trade to the Chicago Bears, he’s played just 19 games, including five starts. He’s caught 22 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown, spending time with both the Bears and the Miami Dolphins.
After just 10 games in Chicago, the team traded Claypool to Miami where he spent the back half of last season. His rookie contract ended, sending him to the free agent market, where he signed a one-year deal with the Bills.
The severity of his toe injury is not known, but he’ll look to recover and return to the NFL once again. Despite struggles since leaving Pittsburgh, Claypool did catch 153 passes for 2,044 yards and 12 touchdowns in two and a half seasons with the Steelers. So, if he’s able to find his rythm again, he should be able to contribute to some team.
For now, we’ll wait and see if the 26-year-old is able to find another home this season.
