Sources: Broncos to sign Clark to one-year deal
Denver’s adding a veteran pass-rusher to its mix and he’s a familiar name to Broncos fans.
The team is signing former Kansas City defensive lineman Frank Clark, multiple sources confirmed to The Post on Thursday afternoon. One source with knowledge of the agreement said it’s a one-year deal.
Clark, who tallied 23.5 sacks for the division-rival Chiefs over the past four years, now will move across the AFC West. The Score first reported the signing. ESPN reported the deal comes with $5.5 million in guaranteed base salary and up to $2 million in incentives.
Clark turns 30 next week and was originally a second-round draft pick of Seattle in 2015, tallying 10 sacks in his second season and 13 in 2018.
He played in 15 games last year and had five sacks for the Chiefs.
In Clark’s final year in Seattle and first three seasons with Kansas City, he played 72% or more of his team’s defensive snaps. Last year he played slightly less but still was on the field for 68% of defensive snaps.
Clark adds to a defensive front seven group that has talent but also question marks. Edge rusher Baron Browning is the only player on Denver’s roster who has not been present each of the past three weeks for OTA practices open to reporters and a source said Thursday that he had arthroscopic surgery on his knee earlier this offseason. Browning’s recovery timeline is unclear but there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready for the start of training camp or the start of the regular season.
Elsewhere, Denver signed defensive lineman Zach Allen but lost Dre’mont Jones and DeShawn Williams in free agency. On the edge, Randy Gregory has only played more than 12 games in a season once in his career. Second-year man Nik Bonitto needs to take a big jump after an up-and- down rookie season and Jonathon Cooper has been a serviceable role player but not an anchor-type presence on a defense over his first two seasons.
All of that put Denver in a position to explore the veteran options remaining on the market. Former Los Angeles Rams edge Leonard Floyd signed a similar deal last week with Buffalo and other players have slowly come off the market as the summer arrives.
Clark has played his best football in the playoffs. In 17 career postseason games, he has 13.5 sacks, 20 quarterback hits and 16 tackles for loss.
He also has faced legal trouble and league discipline over his career. Clark was suspended two games in October for violating the NFL’S personal conduct policy. In 2021, he pled no contest to a pair of separate incidents involving firearms. He was also arrested in 2014 on suspension of a domestic violence charge but he eventually pleaded to a lesser disorderly conduct charge.
Sut ton believes the Broncos have a great receivers room, adding that the depth within the position group has brought out the best in every player. He’s glad to see veteran wideout Tim Patrick back on the field after missing the 2022 season due to a torn ACL. Sutton recalled watching Patrick inside the facility, rehabbing and working hard to get back healthy.
“Tim is always going to be a dog,” Sutton said. “He’s always going to be a guy who can go out there and make plays. It’s great having him in the meeting room and back on the field. You can hear him talking to the young guys as well. It’s nice to have another (veteran) presence in that room.”
Sutton said everyone is excited for a fresh start. For the past few years, he thinks the team hasn’t showcased their true potential with the talent on the roster. With Payton at the helm, every player wants to take advantage of the opportunity.
“We are rolling into the training camp with the mindset of we are going to be the best versions of ourselves so we can have success on Sundays,” he said.