5 reasons why acquiring Frank Clark makes sense for the Chiefs
The Chiefs traded for star defensive end Frank Clark on Tuesday, and the move was met with much criticism. Here we take a look at why KC likely made the trade, and what it means for the upcoming Draft.
The Kansas City Chiefs made a franchise-altering decision on Tuesday when they elected to acquire Frank Clark, a proven stud defensive end from the Seattle Seahawks.
The official trade terms had many questioning what General Manager Brett Veach was thinking when they made the trade:
Chiefs receive:
- Frank Clark, DE
- 84th overall pick in 2019 draft (3rd round)
Seahawks receive:
- 29th overall pick in 2019 draft (1st round)
- 92nd overall pick in 2019 draft (3rd round)
- 2020 2nd round pick
I, however, am not one of those people who is angered by this trade. Both teams can benefit from this agreement. But from the Chiefs perspective, there are a few different reasons as to why this is the right acquisition heading into 2019.
1. Rotational pass rush depth is a necessity in 2019
You’ve heard it before—the NFL is a passing league. It’s true, and it isn’t changing anytime soon. With that fact in mind, it is critical for defenses to have depth along their front four to get after the quarterback for a full game.
The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl just two years ago largely due to the depth and versatility they could present on the defensive line. The Chiefs appear to be attempting to build something similar with the types of players they have assembled this offseason.
Frank Clark is immediately a force alongside Chris Jones. It would be tough to find a better duo in the league. Around Clark and Jones up front, Veach has also added Alex Okafor and Emmanuel Ogbah, joining Breeland Speaksto create pressure defensively. Add in a pair of stout defensive tackles (1-techniques) in Derrick Nnadi and Xavier Williams, and this unit all of the sudden looks like it will be much more difficult to run the football against in 2019.
With several players capable of moving around and playing a variety of spots on the defensive line for Kansas City, Steve Spagnuolo and Brendan Daly could have a lot of fun schematically given their current personnel.