Why Frank Clark is probably not the best option in the absence of Uchenna Nwosu

Losing Uchenna Nwosu hurts, and there isn’t a simple solution.

The loss of Uchenna Nwosu for the entire season is heartbreaking. Since joining the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason, he has been a miracle addition to the defense, and now the team must try to find a way to replace (or at least lessen) the void he leaves behind. The team looked to a well-known individual for assistance in resolving the matter, in a decision that was halfway between surprising and inevitable. Naturally, I’m talking about Frank Clark, the former second-round selection who, since moving from the Emerald City to Kansas City, has amassed two Super Bowl titles and a plethora of postseason stats.

Will he get that illustrious third ring now that he is back in Seattle? Maybe, maybe not. But if he does it won’t be because of his contributions.

After the blockbuster trade that sent him to the Kansas City Chiefs, Frank Clark was viewed as a “disappointment”; nonetheless, he later proved to be an indispensable element of their postseason triumph. It’s no secret that his comparatively meager regular season stats pale in comparison to his playoffs exploits, as he amassed an incredible 10.5 sacks in his four seasons with the Chiefs. According to Pro Football Reference, when you add those three for Seattle, you have the NFL’s third-best all-time leading sack artist in the postseason.

Even after their first postseason run, however, a sizable segment of Chiefs supporters remained somewhat divided about him; some cited his contract-to-production imbalance, while others argued that he had little impact during the regular season. Frank Clark is a strong run defender, but at this stage of his career, he shouldn’t be expected to contribute Nwosu’s kind of well-rounded play. He can be a devastating pass rusher, but he can also vanish for extended periods of time.

Concern is increased by the fact that Clark missed eight games from 2019 to 2022 and has only played in two games this season due to a variety of health problems. Despite “hitting it off” with Sean Payton, the Denver Broncos signed him with great expectations, and ultimately, he proved to be a huge free agent disaster for them. The fact that the team apparently wanted late-round compensation, similar to what they were able to acquire in the deal that sent Randy Gregory to the San Francisco 49ers, but no other teams were interested, I believe is somewhat instructive.

We can only hope that the Seahawks persevere, qualify for the postseason, and see another legendary run by Frank Clark. Or perhaps they simply use him as a rotational pass rusher, and he does a good job of it. The latter seems far more likely to happen, though even that might be a difficult task.

What then is my point? I’m not here to be negative or to take personal offense at Frank Clark; rather, I’m here to propose that if this team wants to maintain its level of defensive performance in Nwosu’s absence, they might need to take some more risks. And perhaps they’re just ready to put up with a little decline, provided the rest of the defense keeps up its strong play.

But if the team wants to maintain this defense looking like the formidable force it has developed into, perhaps they should think about making some decisions before the trade deadline. In any event, it is unlikely that there will be a significant change when the club plays the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. In any case, it will be interesting to watch how the defense responds against a battered offense, most likely led by Kareem Hunt and PJ Walker.