Le'Raven Clark, OT, 7th season, 6-5, 319 pounds
The Steelers have continued to build their offensive line with yet another lineman signing, this time veteran offensive tackle Le'Raven Clark to a one-year deal.
Going into his seventh season, Clark has appeared in 64 games, making 18 starts.
Interestingly, he's seen 445 career snaps at left tackle, 392 at right tackle, 318 at right guard and 69 as the sixth offensive lineman on the field. So, he's got some experience doing a little bit of everything outside of playing center.
And that's something the Steelers needed.
With the recent signings of Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig, the Steelers have added to the depth of their line with a pair of guards. But they hadn't added anyone capable of playing right or left tackle consistently – though Seumalo had played some right tackle in a pinch earlier in his career.
Clark was a third-round pick of the Colts in 2016 out of Texas Tech. He wound up playing just under 200 snaps at right tackle for Indianapolis that season before moving to right guard the following year, making five starts there.
But he's been a swing tackle in every season since, including at stops in Philadelphia in 2021 and last season with the Titans.
That ability to play both sides and be comfortable doing so is valuable. And his addition doesn't preclude the Steelers from selecting a tackle at some point in the draft and allowing the rookie to compete for a starting spot with Dan Moore at left tackle or Chuks Okorafor on the right side.
In fact, if the Steelers do select an offensive tackle in the draft, Clark's presence helps the rookie. Because of his versatility, the Steelers won't be forced to get the rookie snaps on both sides of the line. They can take the rookie and allow him to battle either Moore or Okorafor for a starting job.
Clark can simply be the backup on the other side.
It's another prudent signing by the Steelers' front office, giving offensive line coach Pat Meyer yet another body with which to work. None of the Steelers' linemen are high draft picks, but they've all got NFL experience. And that's not something that should be overlooked.
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Clark can fill the role held by Jonathan Scott last season. He'll be active on game days because of his versatility to play both tackle spots and guard, as well.
The Steelers made it through the 2022 season with the same starting five players up front for all 17 games. To expect that to happen again would be folly.
The signings of players such as Clark might not create much buzz, but they're something that is necessary for every NFL team.
