When Omar Khan addressed the press as the Steelers opened camp at St. Vincents, reporters wasted little time in asking him about plans for addressing the void created by the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade.
After acknowledging free agent Juan Thornhill’s increased role, Khan quickly pivoted, explaining:
That’s not to say we won’t look to see what else is out there. But part of training camp is for us to kind of figure out and get to know the players that we have and see how those roles are going to come together.
So… After just two days of padless practices the Steelers made their first roster move of training camp, signing safety Chuck Clark. What to make of the Khan’s comment and the subsequent move?
Chuck Clark takes out Pat Freiermuth. Photo Credit: David, Tulis, UPI via Shutterstock
Does the Clark signing it in-and-of-itself represent a vote of no confidence for Thornhill?
Almost certainly not.
The Steelers depth chart at safety wasn’t particularly deep before Minkah Fitzpatrick got traded and has remained thin. Mike Tomlin can talk about cornerback Jalen Ramsey as a “coverage guy” all he wants, Miles Killebrew taking snaps with the secondary speaks for itself.
- By all appearances Clark looks like a classic depth signing.
The Baltimore Ravens drafted Chuck Clark in the 6th round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and Clark appeared in 96 games while starting 63 games for Baltimore, including 12 against the Steelers.
Clark played well enough for the Ravens to re-sign him after his third year, but they decided to trade him to the New York Jets in March of 2023. Clark tore his ACL in the summer of 2023 and did not play.
- He returned to play the 2024 season for the Jets and started 12 games.
His stint in New York increased his start total to 75 games and game total to 108, but the injury bug bit him again as the finished 2024 on injured reserve.
During his NFL career, Clark has intercepted 5 passes with one pick-six, and Pro Football Reference credits him with 34 passes defensed. He has also made 4.5 sacks.
To make room on the roster for Clark, the Steelers cut defensive tackle Domenique Davis.
