Kansas City Chiefs say Frank Clark didn’t practice Thursday because of an illness
The Kansas City Chiefs practiced Thursday without one of their top defenders ahead of Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Defensive end Frank Clark was not on the field because of an illness, the Chiefs announced. Clark, who practiced fully Wednesday, also missed two days of practice in late August with an illness.
Clark also pleaded no contest on Wednesday to two counts of misdemeanor possession of an assault weapon, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office media spokesman Matt Krasnowski. The charges were from two arrests in 2021.
Clark was sentenced to one year of “informal probation” and also must complete 40 hours of volunteer community service.
The Chiefs had no comment on Clark’s no contest plea.
The Chiefs are back on the practice field on Friday, so Clark has another day to potentially overcome whatever is ailing him before the team travels Saturday.
In the event Clark can’t play Sunday, the Chiefs appear covered with depth at the defensive end position with Mike Danna, rookie George Karlaftis, Carlos Dunlap and Joshua Kaindoh. Depending on personnel package, defensive linemen Chris Jones and Tershawn Wharton have the versatility to slide from the interior to the outside as an edge rusher.
Meanwhile, Clark was the only Chief who didn’t practice Wednesday.
Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee), guard Trey Smith (shoulder), safety Deon Bush (foot) and defensive end Malik Herring (abdomen) practiced fully for a second straight day, the Chiefs announced.
Rookie offensive lineman Darian Kinnard (elbow) was added to the injury report as a full participant.
This story was originally published September 8, 2022 at 1:11 PM.
