Chase Claypool has quickly gone from wide-eyed rookie to one of most experienced members of the Steelers’ receiving corps. He’s only entering his third season, but he’s their second-longest tenured wideout, and at OTAs this week, he stood alone as their elder statesman.
That’s because fourth-year receiver Diontae Johnson wasn’t present for the first week of voluntary sessions. Claypool has been, and for a group that lost JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington and Ray-Ray McCloud in the same offseason — and has two new quarterbacks to work with, both of whom could be the Week 1 starter — he prioritized his presence on the South Side this week.
“Yeah, for sure,” Claypool said Thursday. “Everyone’s here. I didn’t want to be at home when all these guys are getting reps together, so I thought it was important.”
Therein lies the paradox of OTAs, though. They’re not mandatory, and every year, players have various reasons for not attending. Sometimes it portends a bigger story, other times it’s much ado about nothing.
Last year, for instance, star pass rusher T.J. Watt stayed home, and guess what? He ended up getting his lucrative new contract and tying the NFL’s official single-season sack record. But veteran offensive lineman David DeCastro wasn’t at OTAs in 2021, either, and as it turned out, he had a lingering ankle injury that eventually forced the Steelers to release him in June.
We’ll see where Johnson falls on the spectrum of notable OTAs absences, but if Claypool has to take a guess, he doesn’t think it means much of anything.
“I know Diontae, he’s grinding no matter where he is,” Claypool said. “I know a lot of people are looking into it, but I wouldn’t look into it too much because he’s perfecting his craft and he’s going to come ball out, too.”
Of course, Johnson is entering the final year of his rookie deal, as Watt was this time last offseason. It’s practically routine now for standout players to make a statement, no matter how mild, by staying away from their teams until they have to be there.
Claypool acknowledged that Johnson’s presence is missed, but he likely has his head in the playbook regardless.
“I don’t think it’s a big deal, no,” Claypool said. “I know people will make it a big deal because they need clicks and stuff, but it’s not a big deal. We’re going to get work in in the offseason.”
As for himself, Claypool is well aware that he’s coming off a bit of a Year 2 regression following his breakout rookie season. He noted that some observers thought he was “terrible” in 2021 but that he cares deeply about improving and won’t stop working until he’s an elite receiver. That includes sharpening his footwork and timing in order to secure more receptions downfield.
Claypool spoke highly of the new guys throwing him passes, Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett, as well as holdover Mason Rudolph. He’s also trying to become a more versatile option, playing both inside and outside receiver, if that’s what offensive coordinator Matt Canada calls for.
“We’re super young, which I think is exciting, as well,” Claypool said. “We have a new playbook, in a sense, with coach Canada kind of fully implementing his game plan, so I think we’re having some fun out there.”
One could translate that as the offense being limited last year by Ben Roethlisberger’s lack of mobility in the future Hall of Famer’s final season. Not having Roethlisberger around has felt different, Claypool noted, but he praised Trubisky, Pickett and Rudolph for “encouraging us and showing a lot of energy.”
Another new player on the offense is actually an old friend for Claypool. That would be fourth-year wideout Miles Boykin, a fellow Notre Dame product the Steelers claimed off waivers from the Ravens last month. Boykin and Claypool were a menacing duo for opposing secondaries in college, then became rivals, and now are reunited.
“That’s my brother, man,” Boykin said, adding that he and Claypool already have swapped jerseys from their days on opposite sides of the AFC North. “We spent three years, pretty much every day together. It’s just great being his teammate again, being able to be with him and grow as teammates.”
Boykin is nearly two years older, but for the Steelers, it’s Claypool who’s suddenly a young veteran. Time will tell if he also can be a leader.
“I think it’s the first time on the Steelers where I’ve felt like my voice is being actively heard,” Claypool said. “I’m taking that seriously. I’m trying to help the young guys because I was there last year and two years ago.
“When I first went to Notre Dame, I wasn’t that guy. I became that guy. It’s the same thing here.”
