Detroit Lions add more depth at safety, inking veteran Chuck Clark
Phoenix, Ariz. — The Detroit Lions continued to bolster the team’s defensive backfield depth three weeks into the new league year, signing veteran safety Chuck Clark.
Clark, who turns 31 next month, was a sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech in 2017. He spent his first six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, transforming from a special teamer to a full-time starter by his third season.
He departed Baltimore in 2023, spending two seasons with the Jets before playing last year with the Steelers. Versatile, Clark has split more than 4,000 snaps nearly evenly between deep safety and box alignments. He’s also banked more than 500 reps at the line of scrimmage, where he’s had some success as a blitzer.
The six-foot, 210-pounder saw a ton of special teams work early in his career, but those assignments sharply declined while he was logging more than 1,000 defensive snaps per season from 2020-22.
As a rotational player with the Steelers, the special teams role grew to 189 snaps, his most since 2020.
Highly durable through his first several seasons, Clark missed all of the 2023 campaign with a torn ACL and several games in 2024 with a torn pec. He appeared in 15 games for the Steelers last season, but those two absences from the lineup weren’t injury related.
Clark gives the Lions added depth at a position of need, given starters Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch both face injury question marks. Joseph missed most of last season with a knee injury, which is potentially chronic. Branch, meanwhile, is recovering form a torn Achilles.
Clark joins a depth chart that includes the returning Thomas Harper, free-agent addition Christian Izien and last year’s seventh-round pick Dan Jackson, who missed his rookie season with a leg injury.
Clark is a good signing. A starting caliber safety to hold the fort down while Branch recovers and is insurance for Kirby. If nothing else, he provides competition. I can't imagine the Lions view him as a 17-game starter, but he has done it before, so excellent insurance for our immediate needs.
Unpopular opinion. I would like a safety in 1st or 2nd round. Especially if a stud is on the board. Lions were at their best when Branch/Kirby (and Iffy) were playing at a high level.