The Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran safety Chuck Clark earlier this week to add depth to a light room, and general manager Omar Khan believes Clark can help in multiple ways. Appearing on The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio, Khan explained why the Steelers signed Clark.
“The other component of it is, he’s been a core teamer when he’s had to. And I think that helps his situation here,” Khan said. “We just need him to come in and compete. Obviously, we traded Minkah [Fitzpatrick], and we like the guys that we have. We like having competition. So, he was out there and he was interested. It just makes sense.”
Clark only played nine special teams snaps with the New York Jets last season, but he has played a lot on special teams in the past. He logged 930 special teams snaps his first three seasons in the league from 2017-19 with the Baltimore Ravens, but those snaps went down as he took on a larger defensive responsibility. With the Steelers, he’ll likely serve as a backup safety, at least initially, and it seems as if him having a role on special teams is in Pittsburgh’s plans.
LB Tyler Matakevich was a core special teamer when healthy last season, but he remains unsigned and it’s highly unlikely a return to Pittsburgh is in the cards. While the Steelers added players who can work on special teams through free agency and the draft, it never hurts to have multiple players who are capable of playing a role in that facet of the game.
Of course, Clark could also prove useful in Pittsburgh’s defense. He can line up at either safety position or in the slot, and his signing continues the trend of the Steelers adding versatile defenders. He’s someone who’s familiar with AFC North football after spending the first six years of his career with the Ravens, and as Khan said, adding competition is a good thing.
Safety looked to be one of Pittsburgh’s biggest weaknesses on paper after trading Fitzpatrick, and Clark can come in and compete with Juan Thornhill and Quindell Johnson. He’s played with DeShon Elliott, who called Clark on of his best friends, and his versatility makes him a nice piece to have as he tries to fight for a role on the team.
Clark isn’t a roster lock right now, but being able to contribute on special teams should help his case making the 53-man roster, as Khan noted. Even though it’s something he hasn’t done a lot of lately, if he can prove to be a viable special teamer, he could wind up being an underrated signing.