GM Ryan Poles made it clear from the start that the Chicago Bears were going to take medical evaluations seriously moving forward. To punctuate that, he decided to revoke a deal with free agent Larry Ogunjobi after the defensive tackle failed his team physical. Poles knows as well as anybody that the best ability in the NFL is availability. Nobody can fault him for having this approach. Still, in the case of Damone Clark, one can only hope he makes an exception.
Some unfortunate news dropped over the past week. The standout LSU linebacker was diagnosed with a herniated disc in his back. This will require spinal fusion surgery to correct. Given that recovery from such a procedure takes at least three months or more, expectations are he will miss the 2022 season. Jordan Reid of ESPN believes this revelation will cause him to fall in the upcoming draft.
"It was revealed this week that medical checks at the combine showed that LSU linebacker Damone Clark suffered a herniated disk that requires spinal fusion surgery. The operation will result in him missing his entire rookie season, but he's expected to make a full recovery. Clark had been viewed as a late second- or early third-round pick, but he could now be off some teams' boards entirely."
It is a personal tragedy for Clark himself.
That diagnosis stands to cost him millions of dollars. Despite Reid's assessment of a Day 2 pick, his strong predraft work made it possible he could sneak into the 1st round. That dream is over. Now there is a legitimate question of how far Clark might fall. Will he even be drafted at all? Injuries like this can scare some teams. They can't be sure if he'll ever be the same player he was before, regardless of how advanced modern medicine is. Still, the Bears must consider taking such a gamble. He is worth it.Damone Clark is the type of player you just have that feeling about. From watching the tape and seeing the measurable, you know he will be a good football player no matter where he ends up. The Bears are shifting back to a 4-3 defense this year. That means off-the-ball linebackers are more important than ever. One must not forget that both Roquan Smith and new arrival Nicholas Morrow are not under contract beyond 2022. Clark won't be able to help any team this year, but he could be the perfect select-and-stash guy. Somebody the Bears could pick, let him heal up, and then have him lined up for a starting job in 2023. Ideal insurance in case Smith somehow leaves, or Morrow doesn't work out. As of now, they have three selections on Day 3 of the draft. Two in the 5th and one in the 6th. There is a chance they'll have more once the action kicks off due to trades. If the linebacker falls into that range as expected, he is worth the risk.
