Seahawks safety Bud Clark works out during rookie minicamp. (Dean Rutz/Seattle Times)
Seahawks safety Bud Clark works out during rookie minicamp. (Dean Rutz/Seattle Times)
The Seahawks may have suffered a significant loss to an already somewhat uncertain secondary as second-round pick Bud Clark was carted off with a right leg injury in the first quarter of Sunday night’s game against the Tennessee Titans.
Clark was injured when he came up quickly to try to make a tackle of Titans running back Tony Pollard on what was Tennessee’s first offensive play of the game.
Trainers came out and quickly prepared an air cast to place on Clark’s lower right leg as teammates took a knee on the sideline and then gathered around him on the field as he was placed on the cart.
Clark was the 64th overall pick out of TCU and expected to compete to replace departed free agent Coby Bryant in the starting lineup.
Instead, Ty Okada has appeared to hang on to the starting job.
But Clark was expected to open the season as a key member of special teams and provide depth behind Okada and Julian Love at safety and possibly play situationally as a third safety.
Clark got the start Sunday night at safety alongside A.J. Finley with Okada, Love and the rest of Seattle’s starters getting the night off.
It was the second significant injury Seattle suffered on its trip to Nashville as receiver Jake Bobo incurred a season-ending knee injury in a joint practice Friday.
Second-year player Maxen Hook took over for Clark on the next series with D’Anthony Bell playing in the third safety role that usually belongs to Nick Emmanwori.
However, Emmanwori has yet to practice after having arthroscopic ankle surgery in July. Emmanwori came off the Physically Unable to Perform list almost two weeks ago and has done some light individual drills and conditioning but has not done any on-field work during team drills.
It remains unclear when Emmanwori will return, and Clark had been expected to help fill his role during his absence, though of late he had mostly been playing deep safety.
Still, if Clark is lost for any length of time and Emmanwori out to begin the season, the Seahawks will have some uncertainty in the back end of their safety position.