The Baltimore Ravens sent away one of the key members of their defense on Thursday, trading safety Chuck Clark to the New York Jets in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick. The move didn’t come as much of a surprise, as the team both signed Marcus Williams and drafted Kyle Hamilton last offseason while Clark requested a trade.
Clark was a sixth-round selection of Baltimore in the 2017 draft, and worked his way up to be a key member of their defense. He was a solid and steady contributor, accumulating 384 total tackles, five interceptions and 3.5 sacks during his six years with the Ravens.
In moving on from Clark, Baltimore will free up room in their secondary for Hamilton, who played a key role for the team during the 2022 season. The Ravens used the rookie all over the field, but Clark’s departure should open up more opportunities for the former Notre Dame star.
Baltimore saves around $4.14 million with the trade of Clark, something that’s much needed after franchise-tagging quarterback Lamar Jackson and incurring a $32.4 million cap hit, at least for the time being. While it would have been nice to get more for Clark in terms of draft compensation, the Ravens likely would have cut the safety anyway, so getting something back instead of nothing was a win in itself.
Grade: B-