Philadelphia Eagles: A pass rush is key to neutralizing Chase Claypool

The Philadelphia Eagles have a big, fast problem in Week 5.

Heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, very few prospects were more polarising than Chase Claypool.

Measuring in at 6-foot-4, 237 pounds with a 40.5 inch vertical and 4.35 40 yard dash, the Notre Dame product turned in arguably the most impressive combine of any player in Indianapolis this Spring. With that in mind, Claypool’s four seasons with the Fighting Irish were far from impressive, as he only amassed 2,159 yards combined over 45 career games.

Was Claypool going to become the next D.K. Metcalf, a meh college receiver who put it all together at the game’s highest level, or just another name added to the ever-expanding list of elite athletic prospects who just couldn’t translate their game to the pros. Or, would Claypool have to switch to tight end, where his lack of route running ability would be mitigated facing off against safeties and linebackers in a joker/slot role?

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Well, through the first three weeks of the season, Claypool has without a doubt looked like the game change the Pittsburgh Steelers sought out with the 49th overall pick.

Though his sample size is still relatively small, as the Steelers’ Week 4 game against the Tennessee Titans was cancelle- postponed, Claypool has amassed 151 yards on six receptions through the first three weeks of the season, including an amazing 83-yard touchdown catch against the Denver Broncos in Week 2. Lining up all over the field for Mike Tomlin’s squad both on the outside and in the slot, Claypool is a human cheat code that mismatches against seemingly any defender an opposing team throws at him regardless of their position.

https://twitter.com/steelers/status/1307744671251214337?s=20

*gulp* how are the Philadelphia Eagles going to cover that?

Assuming both Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster are active for Week 5, which is likely considering the duo are both listed as probable for the Sunday afternoon contest, it’s hard to imagine Jim Schwartz simply placing Darius Slay on Claypool and just be done with it. While neither player is going to make fans forget about vintage Antonio Brown, both are clear-cut NFL 1Bs who should be counted out at your own risk.

With that in mind, Slay is probably the only cornerback on the Eagles’ roster who is actually a favorable height-weight-speed matchup versus Claypool, as Jalen Mills isn’t particularly fast, Cre’Von LeBlanc isn’t particularly big, and Nickell Robey-Coleman is neither particularly fast nor particularly big.

If Ben Roethlisberger has time to let the deep ball fly, there will be times where Clayton is mismatched on an ill-equipped defender a few too many steps behind the former Irish member (Irishman?).

That, my friends, is the key to shutting down Clayton: Forcing the Steelers to get the ball out of their QB’s hands quickly.

Through the first month of the season, the Eagles’ defense actually has the most sacks in the league at 20. Between the sudden emergence of Josh Sweat as a viable starter and Genard Avery‘s Week 4 breakout game, Schwartz is suddenly flush with a slew of viable disruptors who can attack an opposing offense from all over the field.

That’s the good news.

The bad news? The Steelers’ offensive line is one of the best the NFL has to offer.

Through their first month of the season, the Steelers have only allowed five sacks on 209 offensive snaps. Granted, the team hasn’t really faced an elite pass rusher outside of an over-the-hill J.J. Watt, but then again, do the Eagles really have an elite pass rusher? Historically you’d have to say Fletcher Cox, but he’s been coasting on his reputation a bit more than one would expect from a rusher worthy of the ‘elite’ label (more on that here).

But there’s one arrow in the Eagles’ quiver that they seldom use that could be the difference between an interstate victory and a handful of big plays by Smith-Schuster, Johnson, and Claypool: Creativity.

Because Schwartz blitzes so infrequently when he does whip out something creative, like the slot corner blitz on Nick Mullens in Week 4, it can lead to massive, momentum-turning plays the likes of which this Eagles team desperately needs. If he can keep Roethlisberger on his toes, it’ll be all the more difficult for Randy Fichtner to confidently call deep passing concepts.

Remember, for all of Claypool’s strengths as a speedy, 50-50 ball deep threat; he’s not particularly polished as a route runner. If forced to into an underneath role, a lot of what makes him special magically goes away.

Look, I’m not going to sugar coat things: Week 5 is by far the Philadelphia Eagles’ biggest challenge to date. The Pittsburgh Steelers have an explosive offense, a fierce defense, and even boast one of the better special teams units in the league. To keep the game competitive, the Eagles are going to have to stop speedy receivers like Chase Claypool from burning them outside with a game-altering pass rush. Will that actually happen? *sigh* I guess only time will tell.