Bills place injury-plagued WR Claypool on IR

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills have placed Chase Claypool on injured reserve in a move that could sideline the wide receiver for the entire season.

Claypool has missed almost all of training camp since suffering a toe injury on July 28 and has not returned to the field since. Bills coach Sean McDermott initially described his injury status as “day-to-day.”

Claypool was present at Buffalo’s practices and preseason game against the Chicago Bears on Saturday but was not seen at Monday’s training practice. He has yet to participate in a fully padded practice with the Bills.

A new league rule allows teams to designate two injured players on the final 53-man roster who can return later in the season, but those designations have to be made by cutdown day on Aug. 27. If the Bills and Claypool agree to an injury settlement, he would later have the opportunity to re-sign with the Bills or another team. But if he remains on IR, he will not play this season.

“It’s a shame because [some new players have] missed a considerable amount of time — Chase being one of them,” McDermott said recently when asked about Claypool during camp. ” … It’s just hard to evaluate when the players aren’t out there, whether it’s Chase or anybody. And I know he’s fighting like crazy to get back, and we’re anxious to have him back.”

Claypool, 26, signed with the Bills after the NFL draft on a one-year deal. The Bills became his third NFL team in two years; he spent part of last season with the Miami Dolphins after the Bears traded him in October.

After expressing frustration with how he was being used in the Bears’ offense, Claypool was inactive for multiple games before being traded to Miami, where he caught just four passes in nine games.

Claypool spent the first two full seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In his rookie season, Claypool totaled a career-high 11 touchdowns with 62 receptions for 873 yards.

“I think it is tough believing the player that you are or can be, and falling short of those expectations, especially over the last two years, for sure,” Claypool said in May. “It is a tough position because, you know, I know there’s times where it can be frustrating if I’m not living up to my potential.

“But if it’s frustrating to the outside world, it’s even more frustrating for me. I understand where I should be and I understand that I haven’t met those expectations, and that’s why I work harder and harder and harder and harder every year, so I can meet and exceed those expectations.”

In other roster moves announced Tuesday, the Bills reshuffled the third quarterback role after Shane Buechele suffered a neck injury in the preseason opener against the Bears.

Buechele, who spent last season on the Bills’ practice squad, has been placed on injured reserve, and Buffalo signed Ben DiNucci to a one-year deal.

The Bills also waived/injured wide receiver Bryan Thompson and signed receivers Damiere Byrd and Deon Cain to one-year deals.