Someone else who helped out Peyton Manning a lot was tight end, Dallas Clark. Clark was a first-round selection for Indianapolis in the 2003 Draft.
In an offense that already had Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne as pass catchers, Clark settled in as the perfect tight end to attack the middle of the field.
In his rookie season, he started 10 games and had 29 receptions for 340 yards and one touchdown. He would only improve every year after that one.
For year two, Clark averaged 16.9 yards a catch and had five receiving touchdowns, making a bigger role for himself in Indy’s offense.
From 2007 to 2009, Clark had the best three-year stretch of his career, playing in 46 games and catching 235 passes for 2,570 yards and 27 touchdowns.
The 2009 season was Clark’s peak. It was the year he caught 100 passes for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns. That was the only time in his career that he had triple-digit receptions and over 1000 yards in a season.
It was also the only season that Clark was selected to a Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro.