Getty Former KC Chiefs DE Frank Clark looks on against the Denver Broncos.
The Denver Broncos haven’t made a playoff appearance since 2016, when Peyton Manning was slinging touchdown passes. Denver has failed to beat their division rival Kansas City Chiefs in that time span as well, but their new pass rusher believes in the Broncos.
Frank Clark joined the Undefined with Josina Anderson podcast and explained why Denver can flip the script.
“You can say what you want about their record, but if you know football, if you understand it, that’s the type of team that can turn it around in a heartbeat,” Clark continued, “I’ve seen it and I know it. They just need to add a few pieces to get the job done, and I feel like they’re doing the right thing adding me.”
Clark even told Anderson on Twitter that he chose the Broncos because, “The situation with Sean Payton is good for me. I get to play alongside Randy Gregory and stay in my in division that I am very familiar with. I also want to help the Broncos get back to the mountain top.”
Clark signed with the Broncos on June 8 after he was released by the Chiefs back in March after both sides were unable to agree on a deal to keep him in Kansas City long-term.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Clark will receive a one-year deal worth up to $7.5 million. The deal includes a $5.5 million guaranteed base salary with $2 million worth of incentives.
Denver’s Defense Has Potential to be Elite
Since the Broncos won their last Super Bowl in 2016, they’ve been known for having some of the best defenses in the NFL.
Last season, the Broncos had one of the best defenses in the NFL through the first 12 games of the season when they were giving up an average of just 17 points per game. Things began to fall apart in the final five games of the season when they were giving up 31 points per game.
Denver brought back former head coach and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph who had two top-12 scoring defenses in his four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.
Over the last five seasons, the Broncos have owned a top-15 scoring defense including the third-best in 2021. The good news, Denver is bringing back nearly every starter from those teams.
The Broncos’ secondary is returning with All-Pros Patrick Surtain and Justin Simmons. Denver also brought back hard-hitting safety Kareem Jackson to fill the void for young safety Caden Sterns.
Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton are back as the starting middle linebackers in the Denver defense.
Jewell is coming off a career year with 128 total tackles and seven tackles for a loss.
Singleton also had his best season of his underrated career with an NFL best 163 tackles.
In the offseason, the Broncos also improved on their defensive line by signing Zach Allen to Joseph’s defense.
Last season, Allen had the best season of his career by sacking the quarterback a career high 5.5 times, hitting the quarterback 20 times, and had a career best 10 tackles for loss. Allen also knocked down eight passes which is twice as many as he had the previous year.
Broncos Needed Help on the Edge
Bradley Chubb and Dre’Mont Jones were the top two sack leaders for the Broncos last season. The only issue with that statement now is that neither of those players are on the roster entering the 2023 season.
The duo combined for 12 total sacks last season, even though Chubb was traded to the Miami Dolphins after Week 8 and Jones missed the final four games of the season.
The Broncos also signed Randy Gregory last offseason with the hope that he can put up Pro Bowl numbers, but that wasn’t the case either.
In six games, Gregory only sacked the quarterback twice and had seven quarterback hits.
In 2022, the Broncos had the seventh-worst number of sacks in the NFL with just 36. Denver also totaled up just 36 sacks in 2021.
The current pass rushers on the current roster from last year are Gregory, Browning, Nik Bonitto, and Jonathon Cooper. All four combined for 10.5 sacks.
Over the last four seasons with the Chiefs, Clark has added 23.5 sacks to his resume in 58 games. Clark has also been named to the Pro Bowl during three of those four seasons in Kansas City. The veteran pass rusher has also won two Super Bowls by beating the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles.
Clark has also been healthy over the last four seasons, by playing in an average of 14.5 games per season.
Last season, Clark had 5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits.
