Dallas Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones - Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images file
With Micah Parsons grabbing all the attention in the news and finally becoming a Green Bay Packer, it’s now time to move forward (whether we agree with the move or not).
Last Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys traded All-Pro defensive end Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark, along with two first-round picks.
What Clark Did in Green Bay
When the Packers drafted Clark in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, his head coach was ironically none other than Mike McCarthy.
Before becoming the head man at Dallas, McCarthy ran a 3-4 defensive scheme and felt Clark was a perfect pick to be their starting nose tackle.
Green Bay fans quickly found out that they had a budding superstar to fill the middle of the defensive line and stop the run effectively. Instinctively, Clark became a monster at the nose position.
He played in 140 games and started in 137 of them while at the peak of his NFL career. Clark tallied 417 tackles, with 51 of them TFLs. Additionally, he had 35 sacks along with seven forced fumbles.
The skilled athlete also made it to three Pro Bowls before dealing with some injuries that would hamper the success he had earlier in his career. Nevertheless, what happened next was a full-circle moment for the big nose tackle.
Why Green Bay traded Clark to Dallas
Meanwhile, Dallas would hire McCarthy as their new head coach in 2020 after taking a year off from the game.
After a forgetful season, which was lowlighted by a season-ending injury to quarterback Dak Prescott, the Boys made a game-changing draft pick the following year.
The Cowboys selected former Penn State edge rusher Parsons with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. From the start, draft experts pegged him as a generational talent who does one thing well, which is rushing the quarterback.
The pick panned out immediately as Parsons was a one-man wrecking ball at pressuring the quarterback. Teams like the Buffalo Bills began to realize that he wasn’t a premier run stopper, but rather a dominant pass rusher.
The Bills’ game plan was to run the ball for most of the game, aiming to neutralize Parsons and prevent any pressure on Josh Allen.
Then, in the NFC Wild Card Game against Clark’s Packers, their offense successfully ran the ball on Dallas, defeating them at home and ending their season.
After a big blowout win over the Cleveland Browns, the Cowboys once again failed to stop the run in their next two games. The Cowboys finished (7-10) and quickly fired McCarthy as their head coach.
While waiting too long to pay Parsons, the Cowboys decided to deal him to the Packers for two first-round picks and Clark. Jones has consistently stated that they need to improve at stopping the run.
What Can New DT do in Dallas?
Clark is one mountain of a man and a talented football player. At 6 feet, 3 inches, and 314 pounds, Clark can play nose tackle or a three-technique defensive end. More importantly, Clark’s main job will be to help lead a group of 11 to stop the run as a team.
The good news is that the Boys’ run defense should see an uptick statistically, while sacks may dip slightly. Additionally, Clark should help make the entire defense more balanced so that teams won’t be able to run the ball at will against them.
With only a short time to get adjusted to defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ scheme, Clark must be ready to become a Cowboy now.
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