The Cincinnati Bengals released Will Clarke before the 2017 season. Clarke signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for another one-year deal.
The Cincinnati Bengals drafted defensive end Will Clarke in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played his first three years with the Bengals playing in 35 games, hauling in 22 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and two pass breakups. Clarke was released prior to the 2017 season with a great deal of talent along the Bengals line and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were quick to sign the young defender.
The 26-year-old defensive end signed another one-year deal with the Bucs for the veteran’s minimum of $790,000, including a $90,000 signing bonus. Clarke spent time in Tampa Bay as a rotational piece in 2017 but with limited snaps was still able to make a small impact. He tied his career high with 15 tackles and had 2.5 sacks to add to it.
The former West Virginia lineman ranked number 84 in edge defenders in 2017 per Pro Football Focus. While his numbers weren’t impressive in 2017, neither was the group around him. Clarke led the defensive ends in sacks with his 2.5. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy led the team with 6 sacks. New defensive line coach Bretson Buckner looks to turn the line around in 2018.
Bucs have re-signed defensive end Will Clarke, according to NFL daily transactions report. Clarke led Bucs DEs with 2.5 sacks last season.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) March 15, 2018
Tampa Bay ranked last in sacks last year only collecting 22. The part of the Buccaneers defense that used to be the stronghold of the defense was a disaster last season and there is still plenty of work to be done to solve their issues. Clarke will have a similar role to what he had in 2017 only playing 313 snaps for the Buccaneers defense.