Baltimore Ravens: 3 reasons for optimism not named Lamar Jackson

3. Chuck Clark

For years, Ray Lewis and then C.J. Mosley wore the green dot helmet on defense. These two were all time Ravens who were middle linebackers, the quarterback of the defense. In the post C.J. Mosley era the Ravens didn’t find their new quarterback, but instead shifted responsibilities. With Patrick Queen now in the fold these responsibilities may shift back to the middle of the defense. But, for now Clark will wear the green dot for a second year in a row and as football evolves and it’s more of a passing game. The Ravens may be smart to have a do-it-all safety wearing the green dot.

Clark was a sixth round pick out of Virginia Tech where he was a very solid player. Clark has solid side, speed, strength combos, but his lack of standout traits, forced him to slide in the draft. Since then Clark made the team as a special teams contributor and his instincts and football IQ has gotten him increases in playing time. This past season Clark was a key contributor and got a three year extension, keeping him a Raven for more of his youth years. He will be featured on this defense alongside a handful of other stars over the next few years.

The Ravens believe the 25 year old has more room to grow. Between Clark and Earl Thomas the Ravens have two Safeties who they can drop into the deep third, use in man coverage, blitz, and trust to defense the run in the box. This will help “Wink” Martindale move defensive formations around and hopefully rely less on the blitz this year. The creativity that the defense is allowed is created by Clark. He is responsible for setting up and maintaining the play calls through the pre snap reads.

His job isn’t easy and doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. But, without Clark the Ravens would have a massive hole in their defense. Look for Chuck to make his first Pro Bowl this season and create many highlight plays this season.