Lions sign high-character safety with tons of starting experience

The Detroit Lions continue to fortify their secondary depth in free agency. On Tuesday, they announced they’ve signed free agent safety Chuck Clark.

Clark was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Though he started out as a special teamer, he eventually worked his way into the starting lineup in Baltimore. In his third year, he started 12 games, and for the next three seasons, he was a full-time starter for the Ravens. But entering the final year of his contract with the Ravens, he was traded away to the New York Jets in 2023, where his career hit a snag.

He would miss the entire season with a torn ACL suffered in the offseason. And upon returning in 2024, Clark started 12 games, but had two stints on IR—one for an ankle injury and one for a torn pectoral muscle. This past year, he was with the Steelers. He started five games as a reserve and took on a special teams role (189 snaps).

In total, Clark brings 80 starts of experience and the versatility to play in the box or as a deep, free safety. Historically, he’s been praised for his stoutness in the run game. In each of his last four playing seasons, he’s earned a PFF run defense grade of 70 or above, including an impressive 86.5 mark last year in 174 run defense snaps—the third-highest grade among safeties (min. 150 snaps).

“I’m just highly familiar with his intangibles. He’s got a really good relationship with the game,” Tomlin said. “He’s a hard worker. He’s a really good communicator. His football character comes highly recommended.”

Clark enters a safety competition that has more questions than answers. With Kerby Joseph dealing with a lingering knee injury and Brian Branch recovering from a torn Achilles, the Lions’ starting spots could be up for grabs in Week 1. Joining Clark in the competition is Thomas Harper, Dan Jackson, Loren Strickland, and newly signed Christian Izien. But Clark has far more experienced than the rest of the group and could provide some reliability and stability to a position that is currently lacking that.