.jpg) Clark with theBaltimore Ravens in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 21 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Safety | ||||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1995-04-19)April 19, 1995 (age 30) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school | King's Fork(Suffolk, Virginia) | ||||||||||||||||
| College | Virginia Tech (2013–2016) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2017: 6th round, 186th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
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Charles Edward Clark Jr. (born April 19, 1995) is an American professionalfootballsafety for thePittsburgh Steelers of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theVirginia Tech Hokies. Clark was selected by theBaltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the2017 NFL draft.[1]
Clark went toKing's Fork High School inSuffolk, Virginia. He playedAmerican football,basketball, and rantrack. At his position, he was rated as the no. 68safety in the country, the no. 145 player in his region, and the 34th-ranked player in the state byESPN.[2]
While atVirginia Tech, Clark started in 40 of 52 games and had a total of 292tackles.[3]
Clark attended theNFL Scouting Combine and was listed as acornerback.[4] On March 15, 2017, Clark attendedVirginia Tech’sPro Day and chose to run the40-yard dash (4.56s), 20-yard dash (2.65s), 10-yard dash (1.59s), andvertical jump (33 1/2 in). Unfortunately, Clark was unable to improve upon his combine numbers. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Clark was projected to be a sixth to seventh round pick or to go undrafted byNFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the 11th bestfree safety prospect available in the draft by DraftScout.com.[5]
"A team captain and three-year starter atVirginia Tech, Clarke [sic] is an interchangeable safety and reliable run-defender with average size and above-average length. He also has the athletic ability and range to hold up in coverage, but he's not a playmaker yet."[6]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 208 lb (94 kg) | 32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 4.54 s | 1.56 s | 2.56 s | 4.07 s | 6.85 s | 34 in (0.86 m) | 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) | 16 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[7] | ||||||||||||
TheBaltimore Ravens selected Clark in the sixth round (186th overall) of the2017 NFL draft.[8][9] Clark was the 17th safety drafted in 2017 and was the first of four players drafted fromVirginia Tech.[10]
On May 5, 2017, theBaltimore Ravens signed Clark to a four–year, $2.57 millioncontract that included an initialsigning bonus of $174,807.[11] Throughouttraining camp, Clark competed for a roster spot as a backup safety andspecial teams player.[12] Head coachJohn Harbaugh named Clark the third free safety on the depth chart, behind veteransEric Weddle andLardarius Webb, to start the regular season.[13]
On September 17, 2017, Clark made his professional regular season debut in the Ravens’ season-opening 20–0 victory at theCincinnati Bengals, but did not register a statistic. The following week, Clark made his first tackle of his career during a 24–10 win against theCleveland Browns in Week 2. Clark made his tackle onJabrill Peppers during an 18-yardkick return by Peppers in the second quarter.[14] Clark was inactive as a healthy scratch for the Baltimore Ravens’ 23–20 loss at theTennessee Titans in Week 9.[15] On December 31, 2017, Clark collected a season-high three solo tackles during a 31–27 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17. The following day, it was announced that defensive coordinatorDean Pees had officially announced his retirement.[16] He finished his rookie season with a total of 13 combined tackles (12 solo) and two pass deflections in 15 games and zero starts.[17]
He entered training camp as a backup safety with Eric Weddle andTony Jefferson established as the starters. Head coach John Harbaugh named Clark the primary backup free safety, behind Eric Weddle, to begin the regular season.[18]
On December 2, 2018, Clark earned his first career start after Tony Jefferson sustained an ankle injury the previous week and remained inactive for two consecutive games. Clark finished the Ravens’ 26–16 victory at theAtlanta Falcons with four combined tackles (three solo). In Week 14, Clark recorded four combined tackles (three solo), deflected a pass, and made his first career interception during a 27–24 loss at theKansas City Chiefs. Clark intercepted a pass by quarterbackPatrick Mahomes, that was intended for wide receiverTyreek Hill, and returned it for a five-yard gain in the second quarter.[19] He finished the season with 21 combined tackles (16 solo), one pass deflection, and an interception in 16 games and two starts.[20]
The Ravens finished the2018 NFL season atop the AFC North with a 10–6 record, clinching a playoff berth.[21] On January 6, 2019, Clark appeared in his first career playoff game as the Ravens lost 23–17 to theLos Angeles Chargers in the AFC Wild Card Round.[22]
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Clark retained his role as the backup free safety, behind Tony Jefferson, in his second season under defensive coordinatorDon Martindale. In Week 6, Clark became the starting free safety for the remainder of the season afterTony Jefferson sustained a torn ACL during a 26–23 win at thePittsburgh Steelers the previous week.[23]
In week 13 of the 2019 season against theSan Francisco 49ers, Clark made a team high 7 tackles and recorded a strip sack onJimmy Garoppolo that was recovered by teammateBrandon Williams in the 20–17 win.[24] In week 15 of the 2019 season, Clark recorded an interception offSam Darnold in a 42–21 win over theNew York Jets.[25] During the 2019 season, Clark took over the role of communicator of the defense when he was selected to be the lone player with the headset in his helmet to relay play calls to his teammates.[26]
On February 10, 2020, the Baltimore Ravens signed Clark to a three–year, $15.30 million contract extension that includes $10 million guaranteed and an initial signing bonus of $5.50 million.[11][27]
In Week 5 against the Bengals, Clark recorded his first sack of the season onJoe Burrow during the 27–3 win.[28]In Week 9 against theIndianapolis Colts, Clark recovered a fumble forced by teammateMarcus Peters on running backJonathan Taylor and returned it for a 65-yard touchdown during the 24–10 win.[29]
In Week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Clark recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown byBrandon Allen during the 38–3 win.[30]
In Week 17 against theLos Angeles Rams, he recorded interceptions offMatthew Stafford on consecutive drives, including a Pick 6 on the first one, but the Ravens would lose 19–20. He also had seven tackles and three pass breakups during the game.[31]
Clark set career-highs in tackles in 2022, finishing second on the team in both total and solo tackles with 101 and 61 respectively. He also had the most assisted tackles with 40.[32]
Clark was traded to theNew York Jets in exchange for a2024 seventh-round pick on March 15, 2023.[33] On June 22, it was announced that Clark would miss the 2023 season after suffering a tornACL during OTAs.[34] He was placed on injured reserve on July 19.[35]
On March 10, 2024, the New York Jets signed Clark to a one–year, $2.00 million contract that includes an initial signing bonus of $705,000.[36][11]
He was named the Jets starting strong safety to begin the season. Clark started 12 games for the Jets, recording 2 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1.0 sack, and 69 combined tackles.[37] On December 31, Clark was placed on injured reserve with a tornpectoral muscle, ending his season.[38]
On July 25, 2025, Clark signed with thePittsburgh Steelers.[39]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | TD | ||
| 2017 | BAL | 15 | 0 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | BAL | 16 | 2 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | BAL | 16 | 12 | 73 | 45 | 28 | 1.0 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | BAL | 16 | 16 | 96 | 57 | 39 | 1.5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2021 | BAL | 16 | 16 | 80 | 49 | 31 | 1.0 | 12 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | BAL | 17 | 17 | 101 | 61 | 40 | 0.0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | NYJ | 0 | 0 | Did not play due to injury | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | NYJ | 12 | 12 | 69 | 38 | 31 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 108 | 75 | 453 | 278 | 175 | 4.5 | 34 | 5 | 34 | 6.8 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | TD | ||
| 2018 | BAL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | BAL | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | BAL | 2 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | BAL | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | – |
| Career | 5 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
