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Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark is in the headlines this week for all the wrong reasons. Clark was perhaps the most prominent layoff after ESPN acquired NFL Network and set in motion a cascade of changes. We aren't here to debate if Clark's layoff was justified or not, we wanted to bring it back around to football.
We decided to rank the seven best safeties in franchise history to see where Clark ranks among a truly elite group.
1 - Troy Polamalu
Easy No. 1 here. Polamalu went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020, was the defensive player of the year in 2010 and a first-team All-Pro four times. One of the most disruptive players in NFL history and maybe one of the hardest defensive players to gameplan for to ever play.
2 - Donnie Shell
Made the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020, a three-time All-Pro and four-time Super Bowl champion. Maybe the best undrafted player in NFL history, he was a ballhawk on the Steel Curtain defense of the 1970s.
3 - Carnell Lake
Uber versatility defensive back who was named to the 1990's All-Decade Team. Made a seamless transition to cornerback later in his career and excelled there as well.
4 - Mike Wagner
Four-time Super Bowl champion and two-time Pro Bowler. Was a starting safety alongside Donnie Shell and a key piece in the Steel Curtain defense and an unsung hero.
5 - Ryan Clark
Troy Polamalu's running mate in the secondary, Clark is the first safety on this list who was known primarily as an enforcer on defense and one of the biggest hitters in the league during his eight seasons.
6 - Minkah Fitzpatrick
Despite a short tenure with the Steelers, Fitzpatrick was the best safety in the NFL in two of his six seasons in Pittsburgh and was a Pro Bowler four times.
7 - Darren Perry
Former 8th-round pick who was one of the true ballhawks of the defense in the 90s, ranking up 32 interceptions in just seven seasons.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Where does Ryan Clark rank among the 7 best safeties in Steelers history?
