Every baseball team needs a good long relief pitcher, because you never know when the starter is going to have a horrible start or go down with some kind of injury.
In 2013, Denver Broncos offensive tackle Chris Clark proved that having a good long reliever at the offensive tackle position is invaluable in the NFL, and the Broncos gave him an extension for his efforts.
Clark’s play in 2013 was so good, in fact, that the Broncos decided to forego the option to draft an offensive tackle earlier than the third round and just use Clark in the starting right tackle role, the opposite end of the line he’d played the year before. Clark was forced into a tough spot in the 2013 season when he filled in for the injured Ryan Clady at left tackle when he went down with a Lisfranc injury in week two against the New York Giants.
Clark’s performance was admirable, and commendable, and he earned a starting job in 2014, but he didn’t do so well on the right side. Clark proved to everyone that either 2013 was a fluke or he is simply that much better at left tackle than he is at right tackle, where he was asked to be a mauler — of which he is not.
With the recent ACL injury for Clady, the Broncos should be at least somewhat comfortable knowing how well Clark did last time he had a long relief appearance, but that doesn’t mean the Broncos are going to settle on that option.
It should be noted, however that Clark graded out as a +15.7 on Pro Football Focus in 2013 prior to the Super Bowl, which would have ranked him the 11th best tackle in all of football compared to grades given to players this year.
This past season as a right tackle/left tackle, he graded out a -7.1. Not good.
.@RyanClady ACL tear puts even more spotlight on #Broncos' vets, like @ClarkBoy75: [http://t.co/Oz1nkD4EUk] pic.twitter.com/GVK0EFZytl
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 29, 2015
But like I said, maybe Clark is just that much better at left tackle than he is on the right side. That’s entirely possible, but it might not put Broncos fans at ease.