When the Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons, many fans wondered why. When Jerry Jones replied that the answer was defensive tackle Kenny Clark, that question grew louder.
Clark was in a tough position as the 30-year-old defender who was traded for an All-Pro pass-rusher in his prime. While age was a factor, Jones also cited Clark’s ability to fix the Cowboys' run defense, which allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game (137.1) last season.
While he has lived up to that task for the most part, Sunday was a tough day for the Dallas transplant. After chirping at former Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle earlier in the week, Clark was non-existent as Dowdle ran for 183 yards and added four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ 30-27 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Kenny Clark Talked the Talk But Didn’t Back it Up Against the Panthers
Clark has been a stout run defender throughout his career, but his game has shown leaks over the past several seasons. While he started with strong Pro Football Focus grades at the beginning of his career, Clark has graded over 60 just once over the past five seasons and has continued to decline as the year has progressed.
Entering Week 6, his worst game as a run defender came in last week’s win over the New York Jets, as Clark logged a 38.3 grade. Unfortunately, Sunday's performance was even worse as Clark had just one assisted tackle while Dowdle ran all over the Cowboys’ defense.
There may be some external factors for Clark’s performance. The first is that Dowdle was extremely motivated to stick it to his former team, leading Clark to tell him to “back it up” and “prove it” after the former Cowboys RB told Dallas' defense to “buckle up.” The other is that Matt Eberflus’s unit has performed at the level of a team that will get its coordinator fired, as their average yards allowed on the ground of 127.4 yards per game clip this season proves.
As the apparent main reason for the Parsons trade, Clark didn’t show up against a team that was featuring a backup running back in the wake of Chuba Hubbard’s calf injury. But for a guy who mentioned he doesn’t do a lot of talking, his play on the field didn’t back it up on Sunday afternoon.