3 reasons Steelers must sit Claypool for the rest of season

Avoid overuse

For the past three weeks, the Steelers have run a stale and predictable offense which has aided in their overall struggles. The team has stopped running the ball for the most part and has relied on short and quick passes to move the ball. While Claypool is billed as a deep threat, he has proven to be dynamic in the short passing game as well. That said, he has failed to make much of an impact on the offense in recent weeks.

To be fair, the entire offense has regressed in recent weeks, but Claypool has really seen a dip in production. He had such a nose for the endzone early in the year, but his scores are becoming much more inconsistent. Worse yet, despite having some success on the ground in the red zone, he seems to have been mostly figured out. His lack of yards and touchdowns in recent weeks are a clear sign that defenses are starting to figure him out.

Throw in the possibility of an injury, and suddenly keeping Claypool out as one of the top receivers makes little sense. Give him a couple of lighter weeks ahead of the playoffs and hope that he gets well rested and can reinvigorate the offense when he returns as a starter. While playing rookies more often in games that aren’t as important is common, Claypool has played a large number of snaps already. Keeping him healthy should be the priority over getting him additional playing time at this point.