Arizona Cardinals Giving Unheralded Rookie Receiver a Shot

The Arizona Cardinals will give relative unknown wide receiver Larry Clark a shot at making the team

Nearly 25 years ago, the Cardinals signed free agent wide receiver Gary Clark. He was coming off a tremendous career with the Washington Redskins, where he made four Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls. In Arizona, he had two solid seasons, recording 113 catches for 1,589 yards.

Why is that relevant? It’s not, really, but the “Gary” rhymes with “Larry”, and the Cardinals have signed wide receiver Larry Clark after a tryout with the team last week.

Clark wasn’t on many radars this offseason, and was left having to try out for teams, rather than be acquired in the more traditional ways. After his workout, though, head coach Bruce Arians was impressed enough to offer him a spot, and a chance to compete.

At 6’3″ and over 200 lbs, Clark has good size. He played in college at Division II Colorado State University-Pueblo, not exactly known as an NFL hotbed. Last season Clark played in five game and totaled 22 receptions for 248 yards and four touchdowns.

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Clark will have a short time to enjoy his signing, but the hard part begins now. Larry Fitzgerald is near the end of his career, but the Cardinals have a lot of competition at receiver. If the newcomer wants to stick around, he’ll need to be at the top of his game.

The first step of the process, impressing the coaches, is out of the way, and step two, getting a contract, is also done. Step three will be making the cut. Clark clearly has the drive, and has the size teams love. It’s long odds, but it will be a nice story to watch.