A pass rusher that many Chicago fans wanted the Bears to sign in free agency this offseason is back on the market again. According to multiple reports the Denver Broncos plan to release Frank Clark on Friday.
Clark signed a one-year, $5.45 million deal with the Broncos back in June when the Bears were still looking for a free agent edge rusher to bolster their defensive line. Eventually the Bears signed Yannick Ngakoue to fill the void.
Now there are some who are wondering whether adding Clark to the mix could help boost the Bears pass rush, which has still struggled to generate consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks this season.
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In a vacuum, yes, Clark would help. Clark has only played 36 snaps this season due to injury, but earlier this month Clark told Broncos reporters that he was starting to feel better. The Bears still have over $10 million in cap space, so they could certainly afford it.
We’re not in a vacuum though. The Bears got off to a disastrous start to the season and it took them several weeks to play winning football. They now sit at 1-4 and playoff hopes are extremely slim. At this point, it may be more effective for the Bears to save that money and roll it over towards next year’s cap when the Bears have a better chance of competing for a legit postseason run.
Further, Clark would likely rather latch on to a team with better chances to win right now. Even if the Bears are interested and make him an offer, there’s a chance Clark says no.
Clark is 30 years old and is in his ninth season in the NFL. He has 58.5 career sacks with 14 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries. Clark is a three-time Pro Bowler and won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs.
