HEADLINES

Chris Clark

Texans Sign OT Chris Clark

October 16th, 2019 at 7:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Texans have signed offensive tackle Chris Clark and placed fellow offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson on the non-football injury list, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Houston also waived quarterback Alex McGough.

Clark should be familiar with Houston, as he played from the Texans from 2015-17, starting 37 games during that time. Last season, the now-34-year-old Clark didn’t land a contact until the regular season was already underway, but ended up starting 15 games for the Panthers.

It’s unclear if Clark will be immediately called upon to start for Houston this time around. Incumbent right tackle Tytus Howard went down with a knee injury in Week 6 and will miss time, but he’s expected to return at some point this year. Clark, fellow new signee Dan Skipper, and Roderick Johnson all represent options to play on the right side of the Texans’ offensive line.

Henderson, 27, re-signed with Houston this offseason on a one-year, $1.5MM deal. He began the 2019 campaign as the Texans’ starting right tackle, but was benched after Week 1. Henderson is now dealing with a back injury, tweets Wilson, one that likely occurred away from the football field given that he was placed on NFI.

NFL Workout Updates: 10/16/19

October 16th, 2019 at 8:10am CST by Sam Robinson

Here is the latest from the workout circuit:

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Saints’ Chris Clark Done For Year

August 21st, 2019 at 12:00pm CST by Zachary Links

This was not how Chris Clark envisioned things going with the Saints. On Wednesday, the Saints announced that the offensive lineman will be out for the season and placed on injured reserve.

Just last week, the Saints inked the NFC South vet to a free agent deal. He was set to compete for one of the Saints’ jobs behind starters Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk and battle with Marshall Newhouse and Michael Ola, but he’ll be shelved for a while after being carted off the field in Sunday’s preseason game.

Without Clark, the Saints can be expected to explore offensive line help once again. Unfortunately, they won’t have much time to vet any of their additions before the start of the season.

Saints Sign T Chris Clark

August 12th, 2019 at 5:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Clark will make his way to a third NFC South team. The former Buccaneers UDFA and 2018 Panthers starter signed with the Saints on Monday.

Also known for his stints as a Broncos and Texans starter/swing tackle, the 33-year-old blocker is a New Orleans native. He stands to compete for one of the Saints’ jobs behind starters Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk. Clark joins Marshall Newhouse and Michael Ola as veteran tackle options for New Orleanns.

Clark said (via NOLA.com’s Amie Just) he declined three other offers, including one from the Bucs, but agreed to come in for a Saints workout. This marks the second straight late-summer signing for Clark, who landed in Carolina after Week 1 of last season. He ended up starting 13 games and playing more than 77% of the Panthers’ offensive snaps.

Signed as a swing man in multiple places, Clark found his way into both Denver and Houston’s starting lineups in full-time capacities. Injuries to Ryan Clady, Derek Newton and Duane Brown kept Clark a frequent Broncos and Texans starter between 2013-17. Overall, the former UDFA has made 66 starts since 2011.

Panthers Sign OT Chris Clark

September 12th, 2018 at 10:49am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Panthers are bringing in some offensive line help, signing tackle Chris Clark according to Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).

The move is in response to Carolina placing starting right tackle Daryl Williams on injured reserve. Williams went down in the Week 1 opener against the Cowboys, a huge blow to an already depleted offensive line. They’ll now turn to Clark for help, who has plenty of starting experience if the Panthers decide to move him into the lineup.

Clark spent the last three seasons in Houston, where he started 26 games. He worked out for the Texans yesterday as they dealt with some offensive line injuries of their own. Clark came into the league as an undrafted free agent back in 2008, but didn’t appear in a game until 2010. He was able to carve out a role with the Broncos as a reserve, and eventually became a starter in Denver.

Clark’s 2017 was ended prematurely due to an ankle injury. Overall, it won’t be great for the Panthers if Clark is starting the rest of the way. He’s already 32 and hadn’t drawn much known interest before his Texans workout yesterday. Needless to say, it would be a massive downgrade from Williams.

Texans Work Out Austin Howard, Chris Clark

September 11th, 2018 at 2:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the Texans’ three offseason additions to their starting offensive line did not last through Week 1, and the team is auditioning Seantrel Henderson replacement options. This includes one familiar name in Houston.

Chris Clark trekked to the Texans facility on Tuesday for a workout, joining Austin Howard and Cornelius Lucas in doing so, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

An eight-year veteran, Clark spent the past three seasons with the Texans. He started 26 games, becoming an essential depth piece after injuries to Duane Brown and Derek Newton thrust him into the starting lineup. The Texans placed Henderson on IR on Monday because of an ankle injury.

Howard has bounced around lately but has given multiple teams quality right tackle work in recent years. After playing well in spots for the Raiders from 2014-16, Howard caught on with the Ravens and gave them 16 starts at right tackle. However, the 31-year-old blocker could not commandeer the Colts’ right-side job and was released before the regular season.

A former UDFA, Lucas has served as mostly a backup in his four-season NFL run — spent with the Lions and Rams.

Houston added Henderson, Zach Fulton and Senio Kelemete and may start third-round rookie Martinas Rankin at left tackle after moving Julie’n Davenport to the right side. Clark, 32, and Howard, 31, though, obviously bring far more experience.

Texans Place OT Chris Clark On IR

November 29th, 2017 at 8:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Texans have placed left tackle Chris Clark and linebacker Ben Heeney on injured reserve, the club announced today. In related moves, Houston promoted LB Gimel President, LB LaTroy Lewis, and G Chad Slade from its practice squad to the active roster.Chris Clark (Vertical)

Clark, 32, had been serving as the Texans’ starting left tackle, a role he played while longtime starter Duane Brown was holding out and after Brown was traded to the Seahawks. Manning the blindside of a line that ranks in the bottom half of the league in both adjusted line yards and adjusted sack rate, Clark graded as a bottom-10 tackle, per Pro Football Focus.

Houston has several options to take over at left tackle: Kendall Lamm replaced Clark — who has a high ankle sprain and a bone bruise, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) — but fourth-round rookie Julie’n Davenport could also be in the mix when he returns from his own injury (a shoulder issue that caused him to miss Week 12). Long-term, Clark probably isn’t in the Texans’ plans, as his contract expires after the 2017 campaign.

Heeney, meanwhile, is a former fifth-round pick whom Houston acquired off waivers earlier this year. Although Heeney barely played on the defensive side of the ball, he did manage 107 special teams snaps in only five games.

Texans OT Duane Brown Ends Holdout

October 23rd, 2017 at 8:42am CST by Dallas Robinson

Texans offensive tackle Duane Brown has ended his holdout and reported to the club, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).Duane Brown (vertical)

Brown, 32, hasn’t played a single game for Houston this season as he continues to push for a new contract. His decision to rejoin the Texans doesn’t necessarily mean the team’s front office has decided to cave on a new deal, and in fact there’s no indication that’s the case. Instead, Brown is likely reporting in order to gain credit for the 2017 season, as he needed to appear in eight games to do so.

Presuming that he’s ready to immediately step in at left tackle, Brown should provide a significant upgrade on the blindside. Houston has turned to Chris Clark (five starts) in Brown’s absence, but he’s offered a sub-par performance thus far, Pro Football Focus ranks Clark as just the No. 52 tackle among 71 qualifiers. While the Texans’ offensive line has played well in the run game, the unit is 31st in adjusted rack rate, according to Football Outsiders.

If the Texans are intent on not reaching a new deal with Brown, they could conceivably still trade him, something the club is reportedly open to doing. Cleveland currently owns Houston’s first- and second-round picks in 2018, so shipping Brown for draft capital could help the Texans recoup some of its lost assets. The Seahawks, notably, have been linked to a potential Brown acquisition.

But “barring the unforeseen,” Brown is set to play for the Texans, and not act as trade bait, tweets Rapoport. His return is coming at a fortuitous time, as Clark is now expected to miss a week or two after suffering a calf injury, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

AFC Contract Details: Osemele, Irvin, M. Jackson

March 9th, 2016 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

Here are the latest updates on many recently agreed-upon or signed contracts from around the AFC:

AFC West:

  • Kelechi Osemele, G/T (Raiders): Five years, $58.5MM. $25.4MM fully guaranteed. Max value of $60MM via Pro Bowl incentives. Guaranteed base salaries of $6.7MM in 2016 and 2017. $6MM roster bonuses in 2016 and 2017 (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of USA Today and Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post).
  • Bruce Irvin, OLB (Raiders): Four years, $37MM. $14.5MM fully guaranteed. $19MM total guarantee. $6MM roster bonus in 2016, $2.25MM roster bonus in 2017 (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Joe Barksdale, T (Chargers): Four years, $22MM. $10.5MM fully guaranteed. $4MM signing bonus. Fully guaranteed $3.5MM salary in 2016. $3MM of $4.5MM salary in 2017 fully guaranteed (Twitter links via Wilson).

AFC South:

  • Malik Jackson, DL (Jaguars): Six years, $85.5MM. $31.5MM fully guaranteed. $42MM total guarantee. $10.5MM of $13.5MM base salary for 2018 becomes fully guaranteed in March 2018 (Twitter links via Pelissero).
  • Dwayne Allen, TE (Colts): Four years, $29.4MM. $4MM signing bonus. $16MM total guarantee (including injury guarantee). $5.5MM roster bonus in 2016. $2MM roster bonus on fifth day of 2017 league year (Twitter links via Wilson).
  • Ben Jones, C/G (Titans): Four years, $17.5MM. $3.5MM signing bonus. $7.5MM guaranteed. $2.5MM of $3.5MM salary for 2017 is fully guaranteed. $500K roster bonus due in March 2016 (Twitter links via Wilson).
  • Chris Clark, T (Texans): Two years, $6MM. $1MM signing bonus. $750K roster bonus due on March 16 (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Adam Vinatieri, K (Colts): Two years, $6MM. $1MM of $3.25MM salary for 2016 is guaranteed. Can earn $500K in field-goal percentage incentives each year (Twitter link via Wilson).

AFC North:

  • Shareece Wright, CB (Ravens): Three years, $13MM. $4MM signing bonus. Up to $1MM annually in playing-time incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • William Gay, CB (Steelers): Three years, $7.5MM. $1.9MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Ben Watson, TE (Ravens): Two years, $7MM. $2MM signing bonus. $3MM fully guaranteed. $1MM roster bonus due April 1, 2016. $1MM escalator for 2017 (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Tank Carder, LB (Browns): Two years, $2.5MM. $300K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).

AFC East:

  • Mario Williams, DE (Dolphins): Two years, $17MM. $4MM signing bonus. Fully guaranteed $4.485MM salary for 2016. $3.5MM of $8.45MM salary for 2017 guaranteed for injury; becomes fully guaranteed on fifth day of 2017 league year. Deal includes incentives for sacks, playing time, Pro Bowls (all Twitter links via Wilson).
  • LaAdrian Waddle, T (Patriots): Two years, $2.35MM. $250K signing bonus. $200K annually in per-game roster bonuses (Twitter links via Wilson and Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).

Texans, OT Chris Clark Agree To New Deal

March 9th, 2016 at 7:42am CST by Dallas Robinson

WEDNESDAY, 7:42am: Clark’s new two-year deal is worth $6MM, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link), who observes that $3MM per year is a nice deal for Clark, assuming he’ll be Houston’s swing tackle.

TUESDAY, 7:05pm: The Texans have reached an agreement with swing tackle Chris Clark, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link). Clark was set to hit the open market on Wednesday if the two sides hadn’t come to terms on a new deal.Chris Clark (Vertical)

Houston acquired Clark from the Broncos during final roster cutdowns last August, sending a seventh-round selection to Denver to bring in the offensive tackle. Clark, 30, served as a backup to Duane Brown and Derek Newton, and ultimately started four games, playing on a little over a third of the club’s offensive snaps.

A report earlier this week indicated that the Texans would like to work out a new deal with Clark. Having accomplished that goal, however, the team is still expected to draft an offensive tackle to develop as something of an insurance policy as Brown recovers from injury, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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