There has been a different vibe for the Pittsburgh Steelers since they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8, 35-13. Mike Tomlin‘s group crawled into the bye week with a record of 2-6 and all hope for even a winning season seemed completely lost. Rookie quarterback, Kenny Pickett was making too many mistakes, the defense allowed over 24 points four different times and it just seemed as if the locker room was, in a way, ready to be put on cruise control.
The bye week seems to have rejuvenated a group decimated with injuries and it allowed Pickett to take a breather. That’s not the only thing that took place though as the team made a trade involving a former second-round pick.
Former Pittsburgh wide receiver, Chase Claypool was a bit of an enigma throughout his career with the Steelers. He started out as a secret weapon during his rookie season, finding the end zone 11 total times. Fans believed they had the next great pass catcher and the big 6’4″ target out of the University of Notre Dame was already making a name for himself throughout the NFL. It could only go up from there, right?
Not necessarily as the sophomore season for Claypool turned his career trajectory upside down. He only caught 59 passes on 105 (!!) targets and while he still managed to have 860 receiving yards, only found the end zone twice. It wasn’t particularly the statistics that were the most concerning thing about his game, but rather a newfound cockiness that many believe could have even cost Pittsburgh a game in Week 14 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Sure, a score and two-point conversion, along with an overtime victory would have all had to happen, but former quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger couldn’t find tight end, Pat Freiermuth with three seconds left in the game with the ball on the Minnesota 12-yard line. So, the answer to the tweet’s question is yes. Pittsburgh could have absolutely used those five seconds Claypool spent dilly-dallying to maybe score a touchdown.
Over the summer, the wide receiver addressed the criticism that he had received in the past about making TikTok videos and how it was a distraction to the team. Instead of coming back with a mature answer, acknowledging that he understands how it could come off that way, he told the hosts of the “I Am Athlete” podcast that losses came about when he stopped and laughed about it, not even thinking that his teammates might get the impression that he believes losing is funny.
“No doubt about it that on the field, s**t will always override the off the field, in terms of marketing. All that — I was playing my best football when I was making TikToks [group laughs]. People want to get on me and talk about my TikToks, but as soon as I stopped, we started losing [group laughs].”
Not the best message to send to those in the locker room, especially after your celebratory and unaware actions theoretically cost your team a game the year prior. He may have believed TikToks off the field never take precedent over on the field, but his actions against the Vikings suggest that he was more worried about being the star of the show, rather than interested in giving his team the best chance to win.
Claypool apparently had a mentor this past off-season in former Pro Bowl pass catcher, Brandon Marshall. The retired Marshall said months ago that he confronted Claypool about being great:
“You need to get your mind right. You have to lean into being a pro. Some guys in the NFL are happy to be here, then there is a bucket of guys who want to be great,” Marshall said to the now Chicago Bears wide receiver.
Evidently, that advice went straight to his head and rather than focusing on his team, he came out prior to the season and said that he believes he is in the top-three in the league at his position. Maybe a bit too optimistic with a league that features guys like Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, among many others. All of these different instances send a horrible message to a player’s team and that all he really cares about is himself.
Even CBS analyst and former NFL quarterback, Tony Romo, believed that the wide receiver may have been a frustrating player to have around. During the team’s Week 5 matchup against the Buffalo Bills, the color commentator spoke about it:
“Chase Claypool, who I think could be a monster,” Romo said. “Claypool has got all the physical attributes, I just see him not being quarterback-friendly enough times, which hurts the [offensive] play.”
The Steelers are now 3-1 since not only the bye, but also following general manager, Omar Khan‘s genius trade, dishing Claypool to the Chicago Bears for what looks to be the 33rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Throughout the last month, the offense has looked more in sync and focused. Sure, there have been a couple issues with both Diontae Johnson and George Pickens‘ targets at times, but it simply looks and feels as if the offensive unit has benefited from the trade and it will also help the franchise as a whole come April’s draft.
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