Getty Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark during the preseason.
The Kansas City Chiefs enter Week 1 with an incredibly strong bill of health.
There was one question mark heading into Friday’s practice, however, starting defensive end Frank Clark. The pass rusher was a new addition to the injury report on Thursday, with an undefined “illness.”
Chiefs DE Frank Clark (illness) did not practice Thursday. OT Darian Kinnard (elbow) added to injury report but a full participant. Otherwise same as Wednesday with WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee), S Deon Bush (foot), RG Trey Smith (shoulder) and DE Malik Herring (abdomen) full go.
He was the only player absent on September 8, putting his Week 1 status in some relatively minor doubt. On September 9, any concerns were quickly dismissed.
Chiefs Get Update on Frank Clark’s Availability in Week 1
According to several members of the Chiefs beat, Clark made a return to practice on Friday. KC Star reporter Herbie Teope even shared a photo that included the No. 55 in uniform.
Chiefs DE Frank Clark, who didn’t practice Thursday because of an illness, is back to work Friday.
All players on the Chiefs’ active 53-player roster are on the field this morning. This is a pretty healthy team for Sunday’s game vs. Cardinals.
“Chiefs DE Frank Clark, who didn’t practice Thursday because of an illness, is back to work Friday,” relayed Teope. “All players on the Chiefs’ active 53-player roster are on the field this morning. This is a pretty healthy team for Sunday’s game vs. [Arizona] Cardinals.”
Later, KSHB41 sports anchor Aaron Ladd tweeted out a video of Clark participating in some warmup stretches.
Although the severity of Clark’s illness was never known — and doesn’t appear all that serious — his health is something to monitor after the 29-year-old admitted that he lost between 18 and 20 pounds in 2019. This summer, the D-end told reporters that he cut alcohol and red meat out of his diet to help with any digestive issues from this point on.
Considering George Karlaftis’ rookie status and Carlos Dunlap’s Achilles concerns this August, it’s certainly good to have the insurance of Clark on Sunday. He may not be a favorite amongst the fanbase but he can provide immediate stability on the edge.
Week 1 Hot Take Involves Clark
During this morning’s edition of “Let’s Argue,” a weekly staple from Arrowhead Pride analyst Mark Gunnels, a fan had quite the hot take regarding Clark.
“Frank Clark will have 3 sacks game 1,” the fan tweeted at Arrowhead Pride after they prompted Chiefs Kingdom to unleash their “unpopular” opinions of the week.
@ArrowheadPride Frank Clark will have 3 sacks game 1.
As always, Gunnels took aim at tackling this Chiefs take and a few others, one tweet character at a time.
“First of all: let’s hope that Clark gets well soon. The defensive end missed Thursday’s practice due to an illness. When a player is ill, the Chiefs aren’t required to reveal their symptoms,” he began.
Obviously, we now know that the veteran should be good to go in Arizona.
Gunnels continued: “If he does, getting three sacks would be legendary — especially considering he’s never done it before. The most sacks Clark has ever gathered in one game is 2.5 against the Las Vegas Raiders back in 2018.”
This was truly a hot take to spark a powder keg. If Clark started his 2022 bounceback attempt with three sacks in Week 1, would it have any impact on his current approval rating in Kansas City?
Keep in mind that Clark only had 4.5 sacks — total — over 14 games played last season. His best campaign with the Chiefs yielded 8.0, although he did accomplish 13.0 in 2018 with the Seattle Seahawks.
For now, Clark’s diehard supporters should probably go with a more measured approach in 2022. How about double-digit sacks? Or just allow Clark to bridge the gap to Karlaftis — mentoring him along the way — and hope that the rookie eventually takes up the role as the next big bad edge rusher in KC.