Getty Former Kanas City Chiefs pass rusher, Frank Clark, celebrates after a sack against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship.
The Denver Broncos were in need of pass rushers and they went out and found one from one of their division rivals.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Broncos are signing former Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Frank Clark.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Clark will receive a one-year deal worth up to $7.5 million. The deal includes a $5.5 million guaranteed base salary with $2 million worth of incentives.
The soon-to-be 30-year-old was released by the Chiefs back in March after both sides were unable to agree on a deal to keep him in Kansas City long-term.
Schefter also added that Clark spoke with Broncos head coach Sean Payton earlier in the week and “hit it off.”
Clark was a second-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2015, where he spent four seasons where he totaled up 35 sacks.
In 2019, Clark was traded to the Chiefs where he signed a monster five-year contract worth $105.5 million with $63.5 million guaranteed.
Over the last four seasons with the Chiefs, Clark has added 23.5 sacks to his resume in 58 games. Clark has also been named to the Pro Bowl during three of those four seasons in Kansas City. The veteran pass rusher has also won two Super Bowls by beating the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles.
Clark has also been healthy over the last four seasons, by playing in an average of 14.5 games per season.
Last season, Clark had 5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits.
Broncos Dealing With Injury at Pass Rusher
On the same day that it’s being reported that the Broncos are adding Clark, news broke that Denver is losing one of their own pass rushers to an injury.
Per Mike Klis of 9News, outside linebacker Baron Browning underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus.
Klis also reported, “While there is hope Browning could return sometime during training camp that may be optimistic as the start of the regular season could be in question.”
Browning suffered the knee injury after spending part of the offseason working with Frank Matrisciano, who has also trained former Broncos linebacker Von Miller.
Browning who finished with just five sacks in 14 games in 2022.
Broncos Needed Help on the Edge
Bradley Chubb and Dre’Mont Jones were the top two sack leaders for the Broncos last season. The only issue with that statement now is that neither of those players are on the roster entering the 2023 season.
The duo combined for 12 total sacks last season, even though Chubb was traded to the Miami Dolphins after Week 8 and Jones missed the final four games of the season.
The Broncos also signed Randy Gregory last offseason with the hope that he can put up Pro Bowl numbers, but that wasn’t the case either.
In six games, Gregory only sacked the quarterback twice and had seven quarterback hits.
In 2022, the Broncos had the seventh-worst number of sacks in the NFL with just 36. Denver also totaled up just 36 sacks in 2021.
The current pass rushers on the current roster from last year are Gregory, Browning, Nik Bonitto, and Jonathon Cooper. All four combined for 10.5 sacks.
If Denver is still looking to add another pass rusher right before training camp, they could target Yannick Ngakoue who appeared in 15 games last year for the Colts. The 28-year-old recorded 9.5 sacks and added 16 quarterback hits.
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Broncos Sign Pro Bowl Pass Rusher, Ex-Chiefs Super Bowl Champ: Report