Sunday, February 23, 2025, 9:16AM |  27°
MENU
Advertisement
Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool talks with tight end Pat Freiermuth during training camp, Saturday, July 30, 2022, at Saint Vincent College.
1
MORE

Steelers wish Chase Claypool ‘nothing but the best’ — and now must figure out who steps in

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Steelers wish Chase Claypool ‘nothing but the best’ — and now must figure out who steps in

Chase Claypool is taking his former quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s number with the Bears. Now the Steelers have to figure out who’s going to replace his numbers in Pittsburgh.

Claypool called himself “a dynamic playmaker” as he met with Chicago reporters for the first time Wednesday, after arriving in his new city around 7:45 that morning, and it’s clear that the Steelers are more invested in their future than the present by trading him for a 2023 second-round pick. But in the present, someone else has to step in as the No. 3 receiver.

“I didn't have a clue,” said Steelers wideout Diontae Johnson after practice Wednesday. “But it’s next man up. I wish nothing but the best for Chase. Great player here, also a great friend.”

Advertisement

It might actually be helpful for rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett to have one less big-time pass catcher to please, allowing him to streamline the targets to Johnson, George Pickens and even tight end Pat Freiermuth.

Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan watches the team go through drills during practice at NFL football training camp in the Latrobe Memorial Stadium in Latrobe, Pa., Monday, Aug. 8, 2022.
Joe Starkey
Joe Starkey: All this losing actually creates refreshing excitement around Steelers

Johnson said “I would hope so” when asked if less Claypool means more opportunities for himself and Pickens. Coach Mike Tomlin praised the progression of Freiermuth as a tight end who can stretch the field and be elevated to an even bigger piece of the offense, in addition to players such as Steven Sims, Miles Boykin and Gunner Olszewski, who round out the receiver room.

“We have some guys who have logged some game time and who appear poised for an increased role,” Tomlin said.

The 5-foot-10, 176-pound Sims was often the replacement for Claypool in the slot in Wednesday’s practice, the last before the players go their separate ways for the off week, according to Johnson. With 63 career catches for 575 yards and five touchdowns his first two seasons with Washington, Sims has more of an NFL track record than anyone behind Johnson.

Advertisement

He impressed Steelers coaches this preseason, about a year after they signed him to the practice squad in September 2021, and carved out a spot for himself on the 53-man roster. Sims is a much different slot receiver than Claypool, but he’s shown his shiftiness as a return man the past few weeks and seems to have gained respect among teammates.

“He can run every route, catch the ball, great hands, gets yards after the catch,” Johnson said. “He’s a four-year vet. He knows the game of football, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do today.”

But Johnson believes he, too, could see an uptick of snaps inside, which hasn’t been a large part of his involvement to this point in the NFL. He has the route-running and quickness to be a factor over the middle of the field and is “hoping, for sure” to be utilized more in that way.

“I can play anywhere on the field,” Johnson said. “I don’t have a problem with that. It’s just if a play gets called, I’ll get a chance to play inside.”

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool during an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, in Philadelphia.
Ron Cook
Ron Cook: Weighing the pros and cons of Steelers' Chase Claypool trade

That would allow the Steelers to see what they have on the outside in Boykin, a former Ravens receiver and Claypool’s teammate at Notre Dame who enjoyed reuniting with him for a few months in Pittsburgh. The 6-4, 220-pound Boykin insisted he’s willing to be an interior receiver, too, but the Steelers mostly have used him on the outside since claiming him off waivers in April.

Boykin knows firsthand the cold business that the NFL can be after being cut loose by Baltimore, so he wasn’t exactly surprised by all the news at the trade deadline. Johnson couldn’t help looking at rumors on social media and thought the Packers might be the team to acquire Claypool.

“It’s more just, like, ‘Wow, Chase isn’t here anymore.’ Because he’s somebody who, his personality, everybody’s friends with him,” Boykin said. “Having a guy like that leave, it shakes up the locker room a little bit just in terms of chemistry because we’re all going to miss him.”

Tomlin characterized the trade as being “about the draft capital for us.” In other words, having the Bears’ second-round pick next year was more valuable to the organization than another season and a half of Claypool.

Claypool didn’t have much negative to say about the franchise that drafted him as he settled into the Bears facility and his new No. 10 jersey. We’ll see how the Steelers respond to the move, both individually and collectively.

“Motivation, that’s got to come from within,” Johnson said. “If you don’t have that in you, I don’t know what to tell you.”

Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.

First Published: November 2, 2022, 7:08 p.m.

RELATED
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool (11) celebrates after his touchdown catch of a pass by quarterback Mitch Trubisky during the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022.
Ray Fittipaldo and Gerry Dulac
Steelers trade WR Chase Claypool to Bears for 2nd-round pick
Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett talks with running back Najee Harris against the Bills in the first quarter, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, at Highmark Stadium.
Brian Batko
The plight of Najee Harris: Face of Steelers' offense is at a loss in Year 2
Chase Claypool of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms-up prior to the game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Oct. 23 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
WATCH: Breaking down Steelers' trade deadline deals
SHOW COMMENTS (36)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning
1
business
Amid funding uncertainty, Pitt pauses doctoral admissions
Pirates outfielder DJ Stewart gets congratulations from teammates after his home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of the Grapefruit League season at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
2
sports
5 takeaways from Pirates' spring training victory over Orioles
A new report advises retirees in 2025 to aim for just 3.7% when withdrawing from savings -- down from 4%. Over a 30-year retirement, that could mean the difference between financial security or outliving your cash in your 80s or 90s, financial experts say.
3
business
How much can retirees safely withdraw from their nest eggs? Financial experts weigh in.
Preston Coleman, 52, was beaten and strangled inside an Aliquippa VFW on Jan. 5, 2025, in what police described as a vicious, unprovoked attack.
4
news
Bartender working at Aliquippa VFW during beating that left man unconscious facing charges
York County District Attorney Timothy J. Barker reacts during a news conference regarding the shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
5
news
Police officer killed, gunman dead in shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York
Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool talks with tight end Pat Freiermuth during training camp, Saturday, July 30, 2022, at Saint Vincent College.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story