Former TCU safety Bud Clark was carted off with a serious-looking leg injury Sunday, a brutal setback for the Seahawks rookie fighting for a major role.
Former TCU standout Bud Clark was supposed to use the preseason to prove he belonged in Seattle’s defensive rotation. Instead, his night ended in the worst possible way.
Clark suffered a right leg injury early in the Seahawks’ preseason matchup against the Tennessee Titans and was carted off after trainers applied an air cast.
That immediately turned a routine evaluation game into a major concern for both Seattle and TCU fans who followed Clark’s rise in Fort Worth.
The injury is especially painful because Clark entered the NFL with real momentum.
A second-round pick out of TCU, Clark had already shown he could make plays in the secondary. In his preseason debut, he recorded three tackles and was competing with A.J. Finley and Rodney Thomas for snaps behind Ty Okada and Julian Love.
There had even been early talk that Clark could eventually push for a starting role.
That made sense given what he accomplished with the Horned Frogs.
Clark used an extra year of NCAA eligibility to finish his TCU career with 61 games played, 214 tackles, 21 pass breakups and 15 interceptions.
That ball production was a huge part of what made him such an intriguing NFL prospect.
He wasn’t just a solid safety.
He was a takeaway threat.
Seattle’s scheme also made the fit feel natural. The Seahawks ask a lot from their safeties, and with former starter Coby Bryant no longer in the picture, Clark appeared positioned to carve out a meaningful role even if he didn’t win a starting job right away.
Now everything is on hold.
Seattle was already dealing with another significant injury after wide receiver Jake Bobo was carted off during a joint practice with Tennessee earlier in the week.
Clark’s injury only reinforced the risk teams face every time young players take the field in August.
It also makes Seattle’s decision not to play first-round rookie Jadarian Price look a lot more understandable.
For Clark, though, this hurts on a different level.
He had spent years building a reputation at TCU as one of the most instinctive defensive backs in college football, and his NFL career was just beginning.
Now Horned Frogs fans are left hoping the injury looks worse than it ultimately is. Because if Clark can get healthy, the talent that made him a star at TCU is still very much there.
