2020 proved to be a rollercoaster year for the backup lineman.
2019 saw New Orleans Saints backup center, Will Clapp have the most on-field action of his young career. Thankfully, since he is the backup center, Clapp saw less playing time in 2020. No disrespect to Clapp, but if Erik McCoy is the starting center on your team, that’s who you want to see at center.
Clapp, in 2020, found himself waived twice, added to the practice squad three times, and promoted to the active roster six times in an up-and-down, transaction-filled season for the stop-gap option lineman. In 2019 Clapp saw action in 14 games, with 3 starts, while in 2020 he saw far more limited action, appearing in 8 games with no starts. He ultimately saw 62 snaps on the season, with the majority of those coming at Denver and at Atlanta during the Taysom Hill starts, the other game with as many snaps came on Christmas Day vs Minnesota.
Despite the fact that he hasn’t shown to be a realistic option as a starter, Will Clapp will always have a sentimental place in the hearts of a segment of Saints fans. This is because Clapp is a New Orleans native, born and raised in the city, he attended Brother Martin in his high school years before moving on to LSU for college. His entire path since birth has been Louisiana based, and for some, that is appealing.
The Saints, like most NFL teams, need help and depth at offensive line. Will Clapp may not be a star in the making, but he is valuable and worth keeping in the building going into future seasons, especially with a new quarterback he will be snapping the ball to, whether in practice, preseason, or in games. Familiarity with coaching, teammates, and the playbook is important and Will Clapp is a nice player to have when need inevitably arrives.
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