(Editor’s note: The content provided is based on opinions and/or perspective of the DallasCowboys.com editorial staff and not the Cowboys football staff or organization.)
FRISCO, Texas — Rumors of Kenny Clark’s demise have clearly been greatly exaggerated. Those who labeled the three-time Pro Bowler as past his prime due to a down season that was largely tied to the fact he played through injury for the Green Bay Packers might soon discover he is anything but washed, and might actually be dry clean only.
And, because of it, there’s a better than solid chance that the Cowboys did indeed upgrade their defensive line by opting to add Clark to the mix and, yes, before your brain begins to form the thought (I can smell your gears grinding), I do believe there was more that should’ve been included in the package for a talent like Micah Parsons.
I was perfectly fine with Clark being a part of the package, either way, though — simply wanting the kitchen sink, the garage and half of the living room thrown in as well.
Oh, and the other house they put in their mother’s name? I wanted that, too.
As we move on from that exceedingly faded discussion and key in on Clark, however, it’s becoming clear why the Cowboys were allegedly prepared to call off the deal if the Packers didn’t include the three-time Pro Bowler in the deal: the guy is instantly the best nose tackle on the roster; and he has the potential to be the best since Jay Ratliff suited up in the early 2010s.
“Man, I can be great in this system. It’s all about being consistent and coming in with the right mindset every day in practice, and being intentional about my reps; and then when I get into the game, being confident in my training and what I’m coached to do.” – Kenny Clark (Sept. 10, 2025)
Science backs that up like an extra in a Juvenile video for the ’99 and the 2000.
Best Get-Off Time (Week 1 – in seconds)
- Dante Fowler: 0.80s
- Donovan Ezeiruaku: 0.82s
- James Houston: 0.82s
- Marshawn Kneeland: 0.84s
- Sam Williams: 0.88s
- Kenny Clark: 0.89s
The first thing that should jump out at you is the fact Clark had the sixth-quickest get-off time of anyone on the Cowboys’ defensive front, and the five players in front of him are, every single of them them, a defensive end who makes their living off of being able to get off of the ball faster than any other human at any other position.
Film supports the insanity of this statistic from Clark, but let’s apply more perspective by looking at the same metric on two other Cowboys’ interior defensive linemen who also ate well against Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles — particularly in the second half when Matt Eberflus’ defense clamped down and allowed only 30+ rushing yards and zero points.
- Osa Odighizuwa: 0.98s
- Solomon Thomas: 1.18s
Still not picking up what I’m putting down here?
Good grief, Charlie Brown. Lift with your legs, and take a gander at what three of the best defensive tackles in the league produced last week in the category of getting off the ball.
- Chris Jones: 0.87s
- Dexter Lawrence: 1.18s
- Quinnen Williams: 1.19s
If you think those names are worth overlooking, I hear Lasik is running a special nowadays.
Odighizuwa was doing damage and Thomas looked like a demon on more than one occasion, the three making for a formidable interior effort from a Cowboys’ team that has long walked parched through the desert of below average defensive tackle play outside of what Odighizuwa has delivered since entering the league as Dallas’ third-round pick in 2021.
That’s not all that stood out both in real time and on film as it relates to Clark though, but more so the impact that get-off allowed him to have in run defense, specifically.
“The dude can play. It’s going to be a fun season playing next to him.” – Osa Odighizuwa (Sept. 10, 2025)
Production vs. Run (Week 1)
- Kenny Clark: 24 snaps, 4 tackles, 2 stuffs, 9 double teams, -3.8 rushing ypc
- Osa Odighizuwa: 21 snaps, 3 tackles, 1 stuff, 7 double teams, -2.2 rushing ypc
- Solomon Thomas: 20 snaps, 5 tackles, 2 stuffs, 3 double teams, -0.7 rushing ypc
This is provocative, and it should get the people going.
Despite Hurts ballooning some of the rushing averages with some of his scrambles in the first half, something that was all but eliminated in the second half thanks to someone like Sam Williams, the impact of Clark is resonating outward from the nose tackle position with the force of a meteor kissing the planet’s crust.
Nine double teams (!!) means, based on total snap count (42), Clark was doubled more than one-fifth of the time and that’s a hefty chunk of forced one-on-ones elsewhere on the defensive line — exactly what a nose tackle is supposed to do.So far we have exceptional get-off and the ability to force opposing offensive coordinators, including the defending champs, to scheme double teams his way for fear of Clark living in the backfield on repeated plays.
“I’m trying to just win, man. I’m in Year 10. This where I want to be. I’m just trying to win, man.” – Kenny Clark (Sept. 10, 2025)
Yet, Clark was still in the backfield on more than one occasion and, on others, he was using his power to hold the blocker at the point of attack while also reading the running back’s intentions and, or more than one instance, shedding the block to hold the tailback to a run that either barely made it to the line of scrimmage or ended immediately after he narrowly passed it.
Oh, and again, we’re talking about Saquon Barkley here, the guy who ran for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns with a 125.3 per game average last season alone, 167 of those rushing yards alone coming against Dallas’ defense in a 41-7 blowout in Week 17.
Yeah, that guy, the one who also finished with 60 rushing yards on 3.3 yards per carry with only one touchdown a week ago with Clark helping Odighizuwa and Thomas do the heavy lifting.
It remains to be seen how the rest of this journey in Dallas will go for Clark, but given his production prior to an injury-curbed 2024 season and how he announced his arrival for the Cowboys in Philadelphia, anyone with a functional frontal and temporal lobe has no choice but to submit to the science of the situation.
And that’s the fact, not opinion, that though Parsons is special, and that the Cowboys must now get exceptional production from their existing group of pass rushers (though starting out as one of the best in the league in pressures hints at something, in my opinion), Clark isn’t exactly normal.
If anything, all signs point to the fact he’s about to pick up … steam.