LATROBE, PA (93.7 The Fan) – He came down the hill as Steelers practice already started on Friday and immediately new safety Chuck Clark made an impact. Now two days in he’s already had a couple of passes defensed and the former Raven is picking it up quickly.
“This is a first for me coming in this late, having to pick up the playbook,” Clark said Sunday. “I know football, that’s one thing for sure. At the end of the day, it’s putting terminology to it in a difference scheme, different concepts. I know football at the end of the day, I know where to be.”
Clark knows a lot of people on the roster, whether it’s former Jets teammates Aaron Rodgers or Brandin Echols or former Ravens Malik Harrison and his good friend, and fellow safety, DeShon Elliott.
“He's smart,” Elliott said. “I've known Chuck for seven years now, so he's smart, he works hard, asks questions. He's a fast, physical guy. I'm ready to see him play, honestly. He came out (Friday) to start off the plane and do what he needs to do. So I'm excited to have him here, honestly, that's one of my best friends.”
Clark talked with Elliott as he was waiting for an opportunity and even asked him to put in a good word with the Steelers. Seems that helped given what head coach Mike Tomlin said about him after his first practice.
“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.”
The Ravens sixth-round pick in 2017 (played six years, 96 games, 384 tackles with Baltimore) said he’s excited to be at a place with a lot of history and football culture. And he feels 100% healthy after a torn ACL wiped out his 2023 season and then last year suffered a high ankle sprain as someone rolled up on him costing him five games with the Jets in 2024.
The 6’, 209 pound free and strong safety has been working out on his own and when he got the call, he was ready. As he put it he needs to get on a rolling train.
“I understand this is a business, things happen,” Clark said. “I think it goes beyond that for me, it’s my love for the game. It’s an opportunity for me to keep playing football.”