Getty The Seahawks are leaving the door open on DE Frank Clark's return.
The Seattle Seahawks could reunite with one of their recently released veterans.
The Seahawks released three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Frank Clark hours prior to their Week 17 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the move was made for roster purposes — the Seahawks signed three players from the practice squad after placing Jamal Adams and Dee Eskridge on injured reserve — it’s worth noting that Clark posted zero sacks in six games with Seattle.
Shortly following his release, general manager John Schneider left the door open on Clark’s possible return.
Via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times:
“Schneider says of Frank Clark that he does not rule out bringing him back later,” wrote Condotta on Sunday, December 31. “Says they needed the roster spot this week.”
Frank Clark Had Made Minimal Impact Since Signing With Seahawks
The 30-year-old Clark was signed by the Seahawks in October following the season-ending injury to top pass rusher, Uchenna Nwosu. The move actually came shortly following his release from the Denver Broncos, where Clark had zero sacks and just two tackles in two games.
However, his impact was non-existent. According to Pro Football Focus, Clark has just three quarterback pressures and three missed tackles for a 37.6 defensive grade this season. Among all current defensive ends on Seattle’s roster, there isn’t a single player that has a lower grade than Clark.
Clark was also a healthy scratch in two of his last three games on Seattle’s roster and three of nine games overall, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted upon his release.
“Seahawks are releasing former three-time Pro-Bowl LB Frank Clark today, per me and Brady Henderson,” writes Schefter. “Clark had been a healthy scratch for two of the past three games, and three of the nine games overall since the Seahawks re-signed him.”
Just prior to Clark’s release, head coach Pete Carroll addressed Clark’s playing status after he was named a healthy scratch in the team’s Week 16 win over the Tennessee Titans.
“Frank Clark is ‘fine,’ Pete says, but Frank won’t play Sunday,” wrote Michael Shawn-Dugar of The Athletic on Friday, December 29. “When asked if he thinks Frank can play again this year, Pete says he’s not talking about it anymore than already has.”
Why the Seahawks Are Unlikely to Re-Sign Frank Clark
It’s worth mentioning that the Seahawks actually racked up six sacks without Clark in their win over the Titans.
Considering there’s only one game left in the season and the Seahawks need to win their upcoming game against the Arizona Cardinals along with a Green Bay Packers loss against the Chicago Bears to make it to the playoffs, Clark probably won’t be re-joining Seattle this season.
Over the course of his nine-year career, Clark has 58.5 sacks, 35 of which came during his initial stint in Seattle between 2015 and 2018. He’s the last Seahawks player to post double-digit totals in sacks in a single season with 13 during the 2018 season.
He’s best known for his play in the postseason, where he’s racked up 13.5 career postseason sacks — 10.5 of which came with the Kansas City Chiefs — the third-most in NFL postseason history and the most among active players.