Bump: How much should Seahawks play Frank Clark right away?

The Seattle Seahawks are reuniting with veteran edge rusher Frank Clark.

Seattle Seahawks reuniting with pass rusher Frank Clark

Clark, 30, is set to join a Seahawks team that just lost top pass rusher Uchenna Nwosu for the rest of the season due to a pectoral injury. Clark spent the first four years of his NFL career in Seattle after the Hawks selected the Michigan product in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He then was traded to Kansas City in a large trade package and signed a lucrative extension before winning two Super Bowl rings.

Clark was released by Kansas City earlier this offseason and signed with the Denver Broncos, playing just two games before being released earlier this month.

This week, the Seahawks play the Cleveland Browns in a matchup of two 4-2 teams. How much should Clark play in that game? Here’s what former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus said during Wednesday’s Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports.

Seattle Seahawks Instant Reaction: How will Frank Clark fit back in?

“Here’s the deal: Uchenna plays 67% of the snaps, (Darrell Taylor) has been playing 46% and Boye (Mafe) has been playing 52%. Last year, (Clark in a) full season played 62% of the snaps,” Bumpus said. “So I’m looking at it and it all depends on what type of shape that this guy’s in. But initially, I think you come in and he plays about … 25% or 25 snaps. That’s how much you play him.”

Seeing what shape Clark is in will dictate his playing time, Bumpus said, but what helps him is the position he plays.

“How quickly can you pick up this defense? And it’s not hard. No disrespect to D-linemen, (but) D-linemen and running back when it comes to running the football – not pass protection – are the easiest positions to play mentally in football. Physically, it’s a bit different,” Bumpus said. “… I think you just put him in and say boom, C-gap, boom, B-gap. You’ve got linebackers behind you that can make him right.”

Bumpus hopes to see Clark as more of a role player so younger players can get more of a chance to shine.

“I think you still have to see what Darrell Taylor can do. You’ve still gotta let Boye Mafe do his thing because he’s been ballin’,” he said. “You don’t want to take away from these young guys, but because DT hasn’t been an every-down type of defensive player, that’s where you pull the reps from and then you ease DT into more snaps as well.”

Bump and Stacy airs live from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports 710 AM and the Seattle Sports app. Click here for podcasts from the show.

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