Confident rookie WR Chase Claypool quickly earns trust of Steelers

During the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most recent game, the skill-position offensive player who played the most wasn’t former Pro Bowlers JuJu Smith-Schuster or James Conner. It wasn’t $12 million free-agent signee Eric Ebron, either.

It was a rookie, Chase Claypool.

Claypool played 61 of the Steelers’ 80 offensive snaps during a 26-21 victory against the Houston Texans on Sept. 27. Although Diontae Johnson was forced to leave the game because of a concussion, it still raised eyebrows that Steelers coaches turned to Claypool to fill the void and not any of his more veteran teammates at wide receiver or tight end.

“It was good to get a full game under my belt just to know what to expect going into next time it might happen,” Claypool said during a video conference call with media Monday. “It definitely sped up my development, but I don’t think there’s too much more of a gap where I need to fill in.”

If that sounds like a confident player, Claypool wasn’t done Monday. He’s not talking like a typical rookie who struggles with adjusting to NFL schemes or to the pace at which the game is played.

“The playbook and the speed was a pleasant surprise,” Claypool said. “It wasn’t a huge jump in terms of the playbook, and the speed of the game, I adjusted pretty quickly to that.”

Big Ben going DEEP… @steelers rookie WR @ChaseClaypool’s first career touchdown is an 84-yarder! #HereWeGo

?: #DENvsPIT on CBS
?: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/gdttfTQjuY pic.twitter.com/RotSEeaTBs

— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2020

Claypool played more offensive snaps in that Week 3 game than in his first two NFL games combined (43). Claypool was on the field for one more snap than tight end Ebron, three more than fellow receiver Smith-Schuster and eight more than running back Conner.

Although he had only one catch (for 24 yards), Claypool was targeted four times by Ben Roethlisberger. Claypool caught all five passes thrown his way during early-season victories against the New York Giants and Denver Broncos.

That was enough evidence for the Steelers that Claypool was equipped to handle a significant role, just five months after he was taken with the No. 49 overall pick and the 11th receiver to go off the draft board. And remember, unlike rookies of all other seasons, Claypool did not have the benefit of a full offseason of team practices nor any preseason games.

Three games into his career, Claypool has six catches for 151 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown.

“I think he’s doing really well considering … he’s a rookie with no preseason,” Roethlisberger said last month. “We got to see early on that he was going to have that success, or we believed he was, because even in the OTAs and minicamps and when we were throwing at Robert Morris in the offseason, you could just see that he was a guy who already knew what he was doing and already had an understanding of the offense. I’ve said it numerous times: He’ll make a mistake, but he won’t do it two times.

“We are just really happy with his progress and hope that he keeps growing.”

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