Lions Double Down at Safety
Information sourced from: PFF, DFN, Pro Football Reference
Over the last week the Lions have doubled down, adding two veteran contributors to the defensive back room.
First, they signed veteran safety Chuck Clark. Clark spent 2017-2022 with the Baltimore Ravens. He notched sixty three starts with the Ravens, starting all games in 2019-2022. What threw him off his game was a torn ACL, which cost him the entire 2023 season. He then proceeded on with a less successful tenure with the Jets and Steelers in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
Clark is a great addition to the defensive back room, which has a lot of question marks right now due to the health of both Brian Branch and Kirby Joseph. Don’t get me wrong, he will have to earn his roster spot. However, if Kirby and Branch can’t go to begin the season you need to have strong veteran leadership to steady the room, and Clark brings that to the table. At thirty years old and with a ton of starts under his belt, his value cannot be understated. He also has a good athletic profile from a RAS perspective (below), and notched a 70.3 PFF grade in 2025.
Clark is not the end of the signings for the Lions. The Lions also added veteran Avante Maddox back to the defensive back room. Most Lions fans should know Maddox well, as injuries forced him into spot starting duty down the stretch in 2025 (It’s notable to state he notched a 79.1 PFF grade on 342 snaps). Look for Maddox to be the primary competitor for a backup second safety (he can also play nickel corner when needed, adding even more to his value). He is yet another veteran presence at thirty years old with plenty of starts in his career.
If I know anything about Brad Holmes, it is that he doesn’t want to be forced into doing anything in the draft. By adding these two veteran players to the mix, he can stand pat at safety if the right player doesn’t become available. However, while Maddox may move the needle a bit, Clark is still a relatively unknown commodity to the Lions, and I fully expect them to draft a safety or other versatile defensive back. What are your thoughts? Feel free to comment, I would love to hear what you think!