Broncos Release OLB Frank Clark With New Contract Details Leaking
In the wake of falling to the Kansas City Chiefs, 19-8, the Denver Broncos are releasing veteran rush linebacker Frank Clark after failing to find the right trade partner. Although rumors of Clark's imminent release erupted on Thursday, Ian Rapoport broke news of the transaction on Friday.
"The Broncos are releasing veteran pass-rusher Frank Clark, sources say, unable to find a trade partner that all sides are comfortable with. He’ll now be a free agent after playing in just two games for Denver," Rapoport tweeted.
The strategy worked with Randy Gregory — finding a trade partner on a player the Broncos were about to release — but not so with Clark. While the Broncos had to eat about $10 million in remaining base salary on Gregory's contract in order to facilitate the trade with the San Francisco 49ers, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported that Clark agreed to a pay cut to facilitate his departure, reducing his $3.5 million base salary to the $841,000 league minimum.
Clark, a two-time Pro Bowler in his ninth NFL season, was inactive for Week 6 vs. his former team, after signing a one-year, $7 million deal with the Broncos this past spring. He had only appeared in two of the Broncos' five previous games, totaling two solo tackles.
In Clark's last appearance as a Bronco in Week 5, he received just 11 snaps. The former Pro Bowler lost his starting job in training camp to the upstart Jonathon Cooper, which, looking back, was a harbinger of how Clark's tenure in Denver would play out.
What explains the falling out between Clark and the Broncos? According to 9NEWS' Mike Klis, things went "sideways from the start" between player and team.
Even though a contract agreement was reached before the team's mandatory minicamp in June, he requested and received permission from coach Sean Payton to skip the three-day practice session.
In training camp, Clark suffered from illness and a thumb injury and missed enough time for Jonathon Cooper, a 7th-round pick in 2021, to beat him out as an outside linebacker starter. Clark played just 25 of a possible 59 snaps and had two tackles in the season-opening loss against the Raiders.
Clark then suffered a strained groin and hip abductor in practice prior to the Broncos' week 2 game against Washington and missed three games. Meanwhile, the Broncos traded away, rather than released, another veteran outside pass rusher in Randy Gregory.
Denver's plan at rush linebacker was to have two veterans — Gregory and Clark — starting. That plan imploded as the team opted to reward Cooper for his hard work in camp and preseason, while Nik Bonitto usurped Gregory in the starting lineup early in the season.
Moving forward, the Broncos will go to war with Cooper and Bonitto as the starters, though it will be interesting to see if the duo holds strong with the return of Baron Browning forthcoming. Bonitto has been a revelation this season as a pass rusher, but his run defense is one of many reasons the Broncos have been historically bad in that department.
Browning, a former inside linebacker, is a much more complete edge defender with the strength and technical discipline to hold up at the point of attack. He also brings what many analysts have called a 'Von Miller-esque' twitched-up ability to bend around the edge.
However, Browning hasn't played meaningful football for almost a year. He underwent offseason surgery on his knee and missed all of training camp, the preseason, and every regular-season game thus far.
It'll take some time for Browning to get his game legs beneath him, as it were. Meanwhile, the Broncos will rely on Ronnie Perkins and undrafted rookie Thomas Incoom as additional depth at rush linebacker.
Rumors continue to swirl of the Broncos aggressively shopping wideout Jerry Jeudy, so expect some resolution on this front soon — maybe even during the team's mini-bye (10 days between games).
Happy trails, Clark. We hardly knew ye.
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