Frank Clark is proving his worth to the Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark is proving he’s worth his massive deal with one outstanding performance after another.

The Kansas City Chiefs had several decisions to make last offseason after an overtime loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. Moving on from numerous longtime players and coaches, general manager Brett Veach had some tough call to make if this defense was going to get better. Arguably his biggest move was trading for defensive end Frank Clark and signing him to a long-term deal.

Chiefs Kingdom was split on the decision for many reasons. Many fans were torn after being forced to move on from the likes of Justin Houston and Dee Ford. After four years of showing little development and numerous injuries, Ford put on a show in 2018. The comparisons came quickly as fans showed their frustration basing most of their argument on sack totals from a year ago. Clark had yet eclipsed double-digit sacks in a season during his time in Seattle. It was one of the main talking points throughout the offseason, as many fans believed that Ford should have received that deal in Kansas City.

Starting off the season slow would not help the matter for Clark. The news came out around mid-season that Clark was suffering from a pinched nerve in his neck since training camp. It was clear that Clark was not himself throughout the first month or two of the season as he was not the player we saw in Seattle. It was expected to take some time for the defense to get going with the new scheme and talent on the roster, but he looked like he wasn’t the same quick-twitch player.

After missing a couple of games mid-way through the season, Clark has turned up the pressure. Literally. Clark turned it up another notch in the AFC Divisional Round as the Chiefs made a historic comeback to defeat the Houston Texans. Against the Texans, Clark came away with 3 sacks, 4 quarterback hits, and 4 tackles for a loss—all without the help of defensive tackle Chris Jones in the middle.

Maybe the most impressive part of his performance was the competitiveness he brought to the field, a trait on full display during Clark’s third sack of the game. According to Next Gen Stats, Clark chased quarterback Deshaun Watson for 10.8 seconds traveling 42.2 yards before bringing him down. That’s the second-longest time from snap to finish for a sack this season. Even after being knocked down multiple times, he never gave up.

That fire and competitiveness is another reason that Clark was brought to Kansas City. He’s not going to give up on a play before the whistle is blown—something Justin Houston was accused of numerous times last season. While most of the credit for leadership on defense is given to safety Tyrann Mathieu, Clark has done his leading by example for this team. Both players bring a new fire to a defense that has been labeled soft for years. The rest of the defense has followed suit as we see even players that were here in 2018 play with new attitude this season.

The conversation around Clark will continue to be that he was paid a massive contract and didn’t have double-digit sacks during the regular season. Understanding the context of the 2019 season is paramount to that discussion. Regardless, Clark has put together 10 sacks over his last 9 games. It’s also important to remember that sacks are not the only way to affect a game. Pressures alone disrupt an offense and force mistakes or incompletions due to being thrown before the receiver getting open. Run defense is another area of Clark’s game that hardly ever gets discussed, but it’s a trait that makes him one of the top defenders for the Chiefs.

Overall, Clark has proven the second half of this season why Veach took a significant leap to bring him to Kansas City. His leadership and fire that he brings to the defense are precisely what this team needed. He performs and makes plays consistently when healthy against both the run and pass. At the end of the day, Clark has shown why he was brought to Kansas City and is living up to the contract he was given.