The New Orleans Saints have ample salary cap resources to work with, and it would make sense to invest in a new pass rusher after letting Marcus Davenport go freehand. And one suggestion comes from Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine, who suggested New Orleans as one of the best candidates for recently-sacked Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark:
When the Chiefs decided to release Frank Clark, he immediately became one of the top edge defenders in a flat free agent class. Clark is 29 and his regular season numbers aren’t amazing, but he has 10.5 sacks in four playoff runs with the Chiefs.
He’s an accomplished veteran with skills many teams would love to add even if he’s just a rotation player.
The Saints are a team that could use him as a starter. Marcus Davenport had a bad year last season but they will still miss him in their rotation. With Cam Jordan entering his season at the age of 34, it could be a good idea for the Saints to add a veteran like Clark who can take some of his snaps and help both players remain successful.
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Clark’s production has waned as he’s aged, partly leading to his release from Kansas City, but he also brings plenty of off-field distractions. Before being released from the Michigan college team on domestic violence charges in 2014, he pleaded guilty to 2012 trespassing charges. The Seattle Seahawks overlooked those incidents to pick him in the second round of the 2015 draft, only to trade him to the Chiefs in 2019. He is currently serving a suspended sentence on gun charges in Los Angeles stemming from an arrest in March 2021 that led to a two-game suspension last season. He has a lot of baggage.
But back to soccer fitness. Clark produced 56 quarterbacks for Kansas City last year, which would have led the Saints by a healthy margin (Cameron Jordan led the team with 37). He’s too small by their standards – although he’s listed at 272lbs, he said last summer he was playing at around 250lbs. Jordan and the other New Orleans defensive ends all tip the scales at around 285 pounds. Dennis Allen has used lighter pass rushers before, but size has been a focus for him lately.
The story goes on
Perhaps that will change if the Saints, like Clark, fit in with her defense. They were willing to overlook the sexual misconduct charges against Carl Granderson, who missed part of his freshman year while he served time in a Wyoming jail, and their public prosecution of quarterback Deshaun Watson — despite dozens of sexual misconduct allegations well documented. They signed Marcus Maye as a free safety last year knowing he could face a suspension in Florida on a DUI charge in February 2021, and running back Alvin Kamara remains in their plans since following his arrest in Las Vegas faced a ban a year ago. The Saints showed us that they overlook a lot when they feel a player can improve their product on the field.
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Story originally appeared on Saints Wire
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