Seahawks set to add Frank Clark to help mitigate loss of Uchenna Nwosu to pectoral injury

RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks are bringing back pass rusher Frank Clark to help supplement their defensive line depth following the loss of Uchenna Nwosu for the season to a pectoral injury.

Clark is expected to sign with the team after he gets into town on Wednesday. He was released by the Denver Broncos on October 14 after appearing in just two games for the team. Multiple reports have stated Clark is signing a one-year deal with the team.

"Uchenna is going to get surgery and so that will be season-ending for him," head coach Pete Carroll said on Wednesday. "There's a spot there. We had a shot with Frank and have a background history with him. It's a natural spot for him to play with us and see if he can get into the rotation and help us out and we'll see how it goes."

Carroll said on Monday that they hadn't yet considered adding a player from outside of the organization to cover Nwosu's loss. The plan was to use who they already had in Boye Mafe, Darrell Taylor, Derick Hall and practice squad linebacker Tyreke Smith.

But with a player with Clark's resume and background with the team so readily available, it was an easy to see how a reunion made sense for both sides.

"He knows exactly the position that we're asking him to play," Carroll said. "We think the transition to fitting to the spot of playing outside ‘backer and rushing in the 4-3 stuff it just fits naturally. His experience is important with such a young group of guys he’s with now, so I'm hoping that will all fit together well." 

Nwosu was injured making a tackle on Cardinals running back Emari Demercado late in the second quarter. He came to the sidelined noticeably favoring his left arm and did not return to the game. He was seen on the sidelined in the second half in a sweatshirt with a big bandage wrap on his left side.

"Losing Uchenna, we lost a lot," nose tackle Jarran Reed said. "That was one of our guys. One of our main guys at that. Losing a player of that caliber is going to be a lot to make up, but you know, we got to have a next man up mentality. And I trust all the guys -- whoever out there -- we trust them all. We work very hard during the week and everybody's locked in during the week, so I don't think it's going to be any different Sunday."

Clark is a three-time Pro Bowl selection and was Seattle's top draft pick in the 2015 NFL Draft with the No. 63 overall pick in the second round. He spent four years with the Seahawks and became a standout performer during his time in Seattle. He had 35 sacks in his four years with the team, which included a career-high 13.0 sacks during his year in Seattle in 2018.

Clark spent the next four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he won two Super Bowls and earned all three Pro Bowl nominations. A brief stint with the Broncos didn't work out for either side and Clark was released earlier this month.

Clark played with both Reed and linebacker Bobby Wagner during his previous stop in Seattle. Reed especially was looking forward to getting a really close friend back in the locker room with the Seahawks.

"I think I'm probably the most excited guy in the building. My friend gets to come back in here," Reed said.

Reed began campaigning to get Clark back in Seattle once he was released by the Broncos. He said he sent texts and made sure to mention it to members of the front office whenever he had the chance. Then when Nwosu was lost for the season on Sunday, Reed said it picked up even more.

"I just put it out there and (we) just kept going guys we had. Then we lost Uchenna, then I was kind of extra with it like 'hey, we really... if we can -- I don't know how much my word meant, if it meant anything, but I will keep saying it," Reed said.

Reed and Clark reunited for a year in Kansas City in 2021 as well. Their families are close as well and Reed was eager to have Clark rejoin him in Seattle.

"I'm pretty sure he's ready to get here. We've been on the phone non-stop since it happened. I just got done talking to him," Reed said.

Not only has Clark been a strong pass rusher, he's a very capable run defender as well. Like Nwosu, he's an all-around edge player that can handle all situations. While Taylor has shown some skill at rushing the quarterback, his run game prowess has seemed lacking frequently. Having Clark available could help Seattle mitigate the loss of Nwosu more effectively on that front.

The Seahawks aren't playing the same defensive scheme they did when Clark was previously with the team. However, they have no doubt that Clark will quickly be able to adapt to what they're running now.

"He knows technique-wise and all the things, the expectations of the position," defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt said. "A lot of this is getting caught up on lingo and things of that nature. So Frank was always a sharp guy, so I don't expect there to be any issues."

– Kenny McIntosh, Austin Faoliu, Dee Eskridge return to practice.

The Seahawks had three new faces back on the practice field for the first time since the start of the regular season.

Running back Kenny McIntosh, nose tackle Austin Faoliu and wide receiver Dee Eskridge each took part in Wednesday's practice.

McIntosh and Eskridge have both been out since August. Faoliu hadn't taken part in practice since offseason workouts. While the reasons for the absences since then have varied among the three, it was the first chance they've had to get on the practice field this season.

"A number of guys are coming back to practice, and we’ve been kind of waiting and hoping that we were going to get a little bit of a lift, and we may feel that," head coach Pete Carroll said.

Eskridge had to serve a six-game suspension for an offseason domestic violence incident while also recovering a knee injury sustained in the team's preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings. Eskridge was injured covering the opening kickoff and was unable to return to practice before his suspension began at the start of the season.

Meanwhile, McIntosh and Faoliu each have dealt with knee injuries of their own. McIntosh was injured in the team's mock game scrimmage at Lumen Field in early August and wasn't ready for the start of the season. After being kept on the initial 53-man roster, McIntosh was placed on injured reserve.

"It’s like a brand-new toy," Carroll said. "Really just seeing him in the walkthrough just a bit ago, just to get him back with us. He’s been hanging for such a long time. That’s one of the guys that uplifts us that he’s back out there."

McIntosh had made a strong early impression with the team through the offseason and into training camp. He likely would have made the roster entering the season if not for the injury.

Faoliu signed with the Seahawks after playing last spring in the XFL for the Seattle Sea Dragons. Carroll said Faoliu played literally one play in practice in offseason work before injuring his knee. He missed all of training camp and was placed on the physically unable to perform list.

"We had high hopes for him being a factor inside and helping us in the three-technique and one-technique spots. We’ll see," Carroll said.

McIntosh and Faoliu can now have 21 days to practice with the team before the Seahawks will need to make a decision on activating them to the roster. They still don't count against the 53-man roster for the time being, but would need to be added to it in order to be eligible to play. If they aren't activated at the end of the three-week window, they are out for the year.

Eskridge's situation is different. He has a one-week roster exemption that runs until Saturday when he would need to be added back to the roster. Seattle would need to activate him or release him at that point.

The Seahawks are still currently carrying a fifth receiver on the roster in Cody Thompson and could add Eskridge in place of Thompson at the end of the exemption period.

"He has a little different style than the guys," Carroll said. "He has a different style that he brings. Very explosive football player. We haven’t seen a lot of him over the years, but what he has shown and what he showed in camp when we saw him for a while, he looked like he was really ready to be a part of something. Make a spot for himself. We’re going to see how it goes and how it fits."

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