The Kansas City Chiefs are making an adjustment to the defensive line this offseason with the addition of defensive tackle Jarran Reed.
Reed is a familiar face for Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark as they spent several years together with the Seattle Seahawks. In 2018 alongside Reed, Clark put together one of his best seasons yet, posting career numbers in sacks (13) and quarterback hits (27). It’s no coincidence that the Chiefs sought to add Reed when he became a free agent this offseason. The decision makers are hoping that the presence of Reed will help jumpstart Clark, who is coming off a down year for Kansas City.
Clark is optimistic about what his former teammate will bring to the Chiefs’ defensive line in 2021. He spoke about the addition, why they had such success and Reed’s potential impact during Tuesday’s press conference.
“Jarran, he’s a great player,” Clark said. “They do a hell of a job developing those players up there at Alabama. Ever since he came into the league when I was in Seattle, me and him instantly bonded on and off the field and I think that plays a big role. When you’ve got a guy you can trust off the field, it’ll be easier for you to trust him on the field. Just being able to complement each other on each other’s game and play off each other well, I think those are things that helped us be successful when we played together.”
Now that Clark has joined his teammates at mandatory minicamp he can finally begin to rekindle some of the on-field chemistry with Reed that was so prominent in 2018. The belief is that Reed will occupy one of the starting defensive tackle spots, allowing Clark, Chris Jones and other teammates to do damage at other positions. It’ll open up the stunt and twist game for Steve Spagnuolo that perhaps wasn’t available in 2020.
The familiarity with Reed will be a welcome sight for Clark, who has his goals set high for Year 3 in Kansas City. If they can even recapture a bit of their previous success from their time in Seattle it should make for a successful season for the both of them.
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