Steelers 2-a-days: Former Penn State track star Dan Chisena, veteran OT Le’Raven Clark
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Editor’s note: From the end of minicamp through the day the team reports to training camp at Saint Vincent College, the Trib will be running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, assessing each player’s outlook for the 2023 season. The breakdown will go through the roster in mostly alphabetical order, (at least) two per day, from June 16-July 26. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.
WR DAN CHISENA
Experience: Parts of three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings
Contract status: $940,000 cap hit if he makes the team in 2023
2023 outlook: Chisena arrived at Penn State eight years ago as a walk-on football player, spent three years as a scholarship track athlete and for the 2019 season was a scholarship wide receiver and special teamer for the Nittany Lions. The Vikings signed him after the draft, purportedly moved him to safety and deployed him heavily on special teams for two seasons. Last season, though, Chisena was demoted to the practice squad and made just two regular-season “call-up” appearances in games.
Chisena’s only NFL regular-season snaps that have not come on special teams were on offense — 11 for Minnesota spread out throughout the 2021 season. Receiver is where he’s been repping over the spring with the Steelers. But it will again be special teams where Chisena will have to show value if he is to make the 53-man roster (or even practice squad) as the No. 5 or 6 WR. Miles Boykin largely filled that role last season, and there are 11 other receivers on the camp roster – effectively, nine of them are fighting for four spots (counting the practice squad). Though Chisena could probably be used for a play or two on offense, it likely comes down to impressing special teams coordinator Danny Smith if he’s going to play for the Steelers in 2023.
Dan Chisena (@danchisena) is a difference maker. #NFLDraft #MadeInHappyValley pic.twitter.com/f51HlSba9v
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) April 27, 2020
OT LE’RAVEN CLARK
Experience: 8th NFL season
Contract status: $990,000 cap hit in 2023 on a one-year deal
2023 outlook: Clark was the final of three veteran offensive linemen the Steelers signed over the first week-plus of free agency. All of them recently played for the Philadelphia Eagles when Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl worked for that franchise, but Clark is the only one who is a tackle. (Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig are guards).
Clark also arrived as the only one with seemingly no chance to start (barring injury). The Steelers have a pair or three-year returnee starting tackles in Dan Moore Jr. and Chuks Okorafor, and they drafted Broderick Jones with the thought he will at some point take over for Moore at left tackle.
Management clearly did not like the depth along the offensive line last season and looked to remedy that in a big way. Clark would seem to be a good player to have as a No. 3 or No. 4 tackle — he’s started 18 games (plus one in the playoffs) in the league and been part of three other organizations after being a third-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2016. Clark has NFL experience on both sides, too — and even has lined up as a “third tackle”/tight end, a position/package the Steelers have always liked.
Clark is serviceable, and all he’s being asked to be is a reliable swing tackle who can back up on both sides. There’s no reason he can’t serve that role with aplomb.
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