Just a year ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were figuring out ways to incorporate all pieces of their three-headed monster into a talented offense. With Diontae Johnson seen as the best route runner and George Pickens the hot commodity as a rookie, Chase Claypool was expected to be the No. 3 option. Without a true slot wideout option, Claypool was going to be the main guy there in 2022.

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The Steelers selected George Pickens in the 2022 NFL Draft, which happened to be the replacement for fellow wideout Chase Claypool.

Well, after a very slow start to the season, the trade rumors sparked back up. Shortly after, the Steelers traded Claypool to the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Just a month ago, Pittsburgh used that pick on cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Things didn't exactly go well for Claypool in Chicago either, as he had just 140 receiving yards on 14 catches in seven games there. 

Oh, and he was held without a touchdown. Heading into 2023, his first full season in the Windy City, expectations are higher. The Notre Dame product faces a similar situation as last year in that he will head into the season as the No. 3 option, possibly No. 4 if you consider tight end Cole Kmet. The Bears were able to acquire stud wide receiver DJ Moore from the Carolina Panthers this offseason, loading up on weapons for quarterback Justin Fields.

With Moore and Darnell Mooney in the mix, Claypool is once again expected to be the No. 3 wide receiver. This time around though, Bears coaches expect him to thrive in 2023. Chicago offensive coordinator Luke Getsy discussed just why they are confident that he will succeed this season via Josh Schrock of NBCSportsChicago.com.

Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)

Former Steelers WR Chase Claypool continued his struggles after his trade to the Chicago Bears in 2022.

"As far as his knowledge of what’s going on around him, that’s improving. It’s been good to see him be able to take a step there. To say where he is now, obviously, he’s definitely in a much better place. That’s what’s most important. Like [Head Coach Matt Eberflus] and those guys have said, I think that his positivity, his optimism coming into this thing, and his attack and his approach to how he’s trying to learn this thing is really cool to see," Getsy said about Claypool.

His tenure in Pittsburgh didn't quite go down as expected. Things started off well, as he burst onto the scene in 2020 as a rookie with 873 yards and nine touchdowns. The hype was through the roof, but he was never able to build off that impressive rookie campaign. In fact, he wasn't able to top those numbers in his 2021 sophomore campaign. In his eight games with Pittsburgh in 2022, Claypool had just 32 catches for 311 yards and just one touchdown.

Is Steelers 2023 WR group better than 2022?

He ended up producing career-worsts in nearly every major statistical category. In addition to the poor peripheral numbers, he averaged just 30.1 yards per game across his 15 total games. Claypool had suddenly gone from rising star to an obvious trade candidate. Things are much different for both sides heading into 2023. The Steelers get a star-studded rookie in their secondary in the form of Porter Jr., which made fans feel they easily won the trade. 

AP

The Steelers were able to get cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in the 2023 NFL Draft with the pick acquired from the Chase Claypool trade.

In addition, instead of Claypool, Pittsburgh will have a new veteran wideout in Allen Robinson to accompany the primary two weapons. With more comfortability in Chicago now, Claypool will be expected to have a bounce back season with Fields. 

Yinz, will you be rooting for Claypool with the Bears? Do you think he will get back to the ascension that he was on in 2020? What are your expectations for Robinson in his first season in Pittsburgh? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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