The Pittsburgh Steelers once again are staring down the barrel of a receiver issue. Despite trading for D.K. Metcalf earlier in the offseason, Pittsburgh followed that up by trading away fellow top talent George Pickens.
Overall, the room is better than it was last year, at least marginally, but we are faced with the same core problems. Defenses will be able to focus on Metcalf given the lack of proven options elsewhere. If he were to miss any time, the room could crater like last year.
While talk has died down about whether the team will add another receiver before training camp, a new name could be put into the Steelers' crosshairs. Heck, this team has some recent history with this player.
For those of you that missed the announcement, Chase Claypool is attempting an NFL comeback.
The former second-round pick had one of the most bizarre stints with the Steelers ever. He took the league by storm as a rookie with big plays and the ability to constantly score. After that though, he never took any real steps forward.
Childish antics and poor performances led to him getting dealt to the Bears in what has to be viewed as a colossal overpay. His career fell apart, and now he is hoping to take back some of the magic he had earlier in his career.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should avoid Chase Claypool like the plague
While it was exciting to see Claypool burst on the scene, it was equally frustrating to see him fizzle out. While his rookie production would have been hard to duplicate, he had the makings of a good receiver two for a team that can wear multiple hats.
His issues and immaturity prohibited him from becoming that. While hopefully he has been humbled in recent years, even if he has, the ship has likely sailed on him actually becoming a legitimate starting receiver.
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At this point, his best path to a roster spot is as a depth receiver and a gunner on special teams. The team already has this in Ben Skowronek, so Claypool feels like an unnecessary duplicate.
Even if he wasn’t a potential headache, his reunion would feel like it would be more of an annoyance than anything. He brings nothing to this team that they don’t already have, and I’m fine not having the media stir that signing him would cause.
I hope he finds a landing spot and gets his career back on track. A few tough years in the league should have humbled him. Let’s not forget, he still has his freaky frame and athleticism to carve out some sort of a role.
Even though the Steelers still need receiver help, Claypool shouldn’t be their solution. They can find a more viable offensive threat that won’t cause the headache that Claypool almost certainly will cause.