The Lions think they have as good a pair of safeties as any team in the NFL when Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are both healthy. Right now, neither is. And that’s why free agent addition Chuck Clark is so important.
The 31-year-old Clark, who signed with the Lions in March, isn’t on the same level as a healthy Joseph or Branch, but he is a veteran who has played well enough in stints with the Ravens, Jets and Steelers that the Lions think they can count on him for both depth and leadership.
Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said “leader, leader, leader,” when asked about Clark’s contributions to the defense.
“When Chuck’s on the field, you know where the safety is, you know what the check is, you know what the communication is. And that’s vital and important,” Sheppard said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “You talk about explosive plays, well, that’s the No. 1 component to limiting those, making sure we’re all on the same page. And that’s something – take ability aside, Chuck Clark on the field there’s rarely to never a mistake or a [mental error] with the back end. And that’s because everybody knows who’s in charge because he makes it known.”
It’s fair to ask, however, whether Clark is still the same player he once was. He missed all of 2023 with a knee injury and missed time in 2024 and 2025 as well.
“When it comes to athletic ability, can he still do certain things? That’s still yet to be seen, and training camp will allow us that, those four- to five-week period to see what he’s still capable of doing,” Sheppard said. “But from everything I’ve seen so far, this is the player I saw on tape, previous to his career, but more importantly the leadership has been outstanding from that player.”
That’s what the Lions need, especially if Joseph and Branch aren’t ready to start the season.
