With Ravens strong safety Tony Jefferson going down with a torn ACL last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s now Chuck Clark‘s chance to prove himself as a starter in this league:
Chuck Clark was drafted by the Ravens in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft and has played beyond his draft stock expectations. Taking a safety in the six round is like taking a shot in the dark because they hardly ever hit. It seems as if the Ravens may have gotten a hit here.
Clark has shown some promise during his limited reps but hasn’t been able to see the field very much because he’s had Tony Jefferson and Eric Weddle/Earl Thomas III ahead of him on the depth chart.
As some fans are freaking out about the loss of Jefferson, I’m not because I actually believe in Clark’s abilities. The Ravens were going to have to find out what Clark could offer some day. Why not now?
His coaches and teammates have been raving about his football IQ which apparently has impressed the likes of Earl Thomas according to this tweet from Daniel Oyefusi of the Baltimore Sun.
Earl Thomas on the intellect of Chuck Clark, who will likely start Sunday in place of injured safety Tony Jefferson: "I saw that, first day in football school. He was on it. He was just like a starter. I was like, 'Bro, why would they bring me in and they got this guy?'"
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) October 9, 2019
That’s some high praise coming from a future Hall of Fame safety considering how complex this defensive system is. The Ravens are going to need someone to man the green dot helmet to communicate the plays with Tony Jefferson’s absence. I think Chuck Clark is the right person to do it. We’ve seen how tough it is to be the quarterback of this complex defense considering Patrick Onwuasor struggles so having one of the teams smartest players back there makes me a little more comfortable.
Along with his IQ, Clark’s ability to cover tight ends is pretty impressive as well; covering tight ends has been one of the weak spots of this defense. If Clark can improve the communication on defense and cover tight ends it will work wonders for this team as a whole.
I hate to say it but as one door closes another one opens and this might be Chuck Clark’s chance to cement his role on this team. A lot of the national media will focus on Lamar Jackson and this offense on Sunday, however the true spotlight is on Chuck Clark.