Dean Clark Needs Impressive Training Camp With Jets to Stick Around

The training camp period serves multiple purposes. The primary purpose is for coaches to install their new schemes, while the players, practicing in pads and participating in full-contact drills for the first time, learn the system and build chemistry with their new teammates.

Training camp also serves as a crucial evaluation period for players vying for a roster spot, as teams must trim their roster from 90 players to 53 before the start of the regular season. Entering camp, several New York Jets players find themselves on the roster bubble.

One player who will be fighting for his job is safety Dean Clark. Following a disappointing season in which the Jets’ secondary allowed the most passing touchdowns (36) and became the first team in NFL history to record zero interceptions, GM Darren Mougey revamped the safety position, adding Minkah Fitzpatrick, Dane Belton, and V.J. Payne to the mix.

As a result, Clark faces an extreme uphill battle and will need a string of impressive performances to potentially secure a roster spot.

Dean Clark must impress to earn a roster spot

This isn’t the first time that Clark has been in this position. Just last year, the former Fresno State Bulldog faced immense pressure to make the team, as they were crowded with depth at safety.

Despite having both a solid camp and preseason, logging 10 total tackles, one sack, and one interception in three games, Clark was left off the initial 53-man roster. However, his performance ultimately left a strong impression on HC Aaron Glenn, as the team immediately signed him to the practice squad.

Even though he didn’t make the initial roster cuts, Clark was allowed to prove himself early in the season, as he was activated to the 53-man roster in Week 3. There, he carved out a role on the special teams and would emerge as an impactful contributor to the unit.

In 172 special team snaps, Clark recorded six tackles, earning a 67.9 special teams grade, per Pro Football Focus.

With New York waving the white flag on the 2025 season by trading Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, it allowed players like Clark an opportunity to prove their worth for the next season. In four games (180 defensive snaps), the 25-year-old was relatively quiet, logging eight tackles and allowing four receptions (six targets) for 31 yards and one touchdown.

With his unproductive play on defense and the new additions, Clark is currently buried on the depth chart. The Jets are currently carrying eight safeties into camp, but kept just five on its initial 53-man roster last season.

With Fitzpatrick, Belton, Andre Cisco, and Dane Belton projected to receive a bulk of the carries, that potentially leaves one spot open. While he’ll have to compete with Jarius Monroe and Keidron Smith, his biggest challenge for the final spot is Payne.

V.J. Payne is Clark's biggest obstacle to securing the final safety spot

Payne generated a lot of buzz among fans when the Jets selected him in the seventh round, as he was projected by many, including NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, to be drafted between the fourth and fifth round.

While Clark’s special teams value gives him a fighting chance, he’ll need to separate himself on defense. That is where Payne has the advantage with his athleticism and coverage ability. Last season, Payne allowed just 17 receptions (36 targets) for 158 yards and one touchdown, logging an interception and earning a 74.1 coverage grade.

Clark, meanwhile, posted similar numbers in his final collegiate season, allowing 19 receptions (36 targets) for 324 yards and one touchdown, while also recording an interception. However, he received a 69.6 coverage grade.

Ultimately, Clark will have to display signs of progression as an overall defender to make the final roster. While he should at least remain on the practice squad and have a role on special teams, he’ll have to provide value to the secondary to make the team.

With Payne having that edge, Clark needs to stack several quality reps in training camp to surpass him.

Add us as a preferred source on Google