Chase Claypool will lead the team in total touchdowns

The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for the 2022 regular season, but before the real games begin, the team has to head to training camp back at St. Vincent College in order to fine tune their skills. As we here at BTSC prepare you for the start of camp, we give you a series called “30 Scenarios in 30 Days” which gives you a Steelers scenario every day leading up to the start of camp.

It is simple how it works. We provide you the scenario, reasons why it will or won’t happen, and then our prediction for what we think will take place.

Let’s get to the scenario...

Scenario: Chase Claypool will lead the team in total touchdowns in 2022.

Why it will happen: The expectations for Chase Claypool as a rookie were tremendous coming out of the 2020 NFL Draft. As the team’s top pick, a second round selection, Claypool lived dup to the hype. He burst onto the scene and became an instant threat. During that season Clapool tallied 11 total touchdowns, 9 receiving and 2 rushing, and proved he could be a force in the league.

While 2021 was a step backwards, it is safe to say with JuJu Smith-Schuster gone and a new quarterback who is willing to test the middle of the field, Claypool could have a resurgence in 2022.

Why it won’t happen: As stated before, after a booming rookie season, Claypool’s production fell off a cliff in 2021. How bad? He had two receiving touchdowns, and no rushing touchdowns. That’s it. Maybe it was because other teams were paying close attention to him last season, or maybe he didn’t fit the team’s offensive philosophy.

Either way, while I can absolutely see Claypool’s statistics improving this season, I’m not about to think it would be improve to the point where he is leading the team in total touchdowns. Not with players like Diontae Johnson, Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth poised for big seasons next year.

Prediction: As much as I would love to say I see Claypool coming back in a big way, I don’t see it happening. I think Claypool will have a very good season, but leading the team in total touchdowns just seems like too much of a stretch for me at this juncture of the season. I would love nothing more than to be wrong on this and eat crow, but until then I’ll go with Najee Harris to lead the team in total touchdowns in 2022.

Check out yesterday’s ‘30 Scenarios in 30 Days’ prediction:

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black and gold as they prepare for the 2022 regular season.