Getty Should the Kansas City Chiefs try to replace pass rusher Frank Clark at the trade deadline?
The NFL trade deadline is less than two weeks away and that means the rumors and theories are heating up all around the league.
The fans of Chiefs Kingdom have even more trade speculation on their minds than most after general manager Brett Veach freed up over three million in cap space earlier this week. There are still a ton of questions to determine though, like what position Kansas City might target or which players they have their eye on.
One area of need is at the edge rusher position. Outside of defensive tackle Chris Jones and rookie George Karlaftis, the Chiefs’ pass rush has been very underwhelming in 2022. Yesterday on October 19, an analyst suggested a potential solution that involved replacing Frank Clark.
Chiefs Acquire Cameron Jordan, Ditch Frank Clark in Trade Proposal
CBS writer Cody Benjamin dropped an article with 13 deals that make sense and the Chiefs were the subject of two of them. In a sort of switcheroo, the analyst had Veach moving on from Clark in an effort to bring in All-Pro pass rusher Cameron Jordan.
Here were the two proposed trades that would work hand in hand:
- Chiefs acquire Jordan.
- Saints acquire a 2023 second-round pick and a 2023 third-round pick.
- Chiefs acquire a 2023 fifth-round pick.
- Browns acquire Clark.
Benjamin explained both deals, voicing: “An all-time Saint, Jordan may desire to retire in New Orleans, but he’d probably rather go out chasing a ring, and his team is in dire need of restocking for a rebuild. This is the same price the Rams paid for Von Miller in 2021. The Chiefs could use a steadier edge presence alongside Chris Jones as they seek a Lombardi, and the natural follow-up would be [trading Clark].”
“In the scenario where Jordan lands in Kansas City, Clark and his lucrative contract could be shipped out after several underwhelming seasons,” continued Benjamin. “The Browns already have a pair of big-name pass rushers in Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, but both starters have been banged up, their ‘D’ badly needs reinforcements, and they’ve got money to spend. As a bonus, Cleveland is Clark’s hometown.”
Evaluating These 2 Trades With the Saints & Browns
This is one that I think most Chiefs fans would sign up for in a heartbeat. Clark is not well-liked within the fanbase, generally speaking, and Jordan is a seven-time Pro Bowler with one of the more consistent bodies of work in the NFL at the defensive end position.
This is the move that would match the Buffalo Bills’ offseason addition of Miller. Jordan has over 110 career sacks with 143 tackles for a loss and 212 quarterback hits. By comparison, Clark has 55 career sacks, 62 tackles for a loss and 123 quarterback hits in four fewer seasons.
On the year, Clark only has 12 quarterback pressures and eight defensive stops according to Pro Football Focus. He has also missed four tackles with 1.5 credited sacks.
On the flip side, Jordan has 3.5 sacks but he’s on par with Clark in terms of QB pressures (12). The Saints veteran is much stronger against the run, however, with 15 defensive stops in six games.
Jordan also has a slightly lower cap hit ($12.4 million) than Clark ($13.7 million) in 2022 according to Over the Cap, although the former would have a much greater long-term commitment in 2023 and beyond. A Clark cut would only sacrifice about $9 million in cap next year.
Beyond that, you’d be upgrading at defensive end for a pick exchange of a second and a third for a fifth. The Chiefs had a monster draft class in 2022 and so far, a lot of those prospects appear to have a future within the organization. Veach could certainly spare a couple of picks next April if it means potentially winning a Super Bowl this winter.