The Dallas Cowboys made one of the biggest and most shocking moves in the NFL last season. Right before the start of the campaign, they traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for a big haul. Losing a superstar pass rusher was a big blow, but at least they got a prime defensive player in Kenny Clark.
The Cowboys hoped that Clark could help fix their shaky run defense, but that wasn't the case. Now, with severe salary cap constraints and a player who underperformed, GM Jerry Jones will have to make a decision. With that in mind, we'll explore all the potential options they have to get past this.
The Cowboys Need to Figure Something Out with Kenny Clark
As things stand now, the Cowboys are $29 million over the salary cap, according to Over The Cap. Clark has a cap hit of $21.5 million, the fifth-highest on the team. He's one of their three defensive tackles making up for at least $20 million on their salary cap.
Clark still has two years left in his contract. Restructuring his current deal could clear up $9.6 million, which would be helpful but insufficient. That's why they could try to trade him instead, as that would save $21.5 million.
That said, it's hard to believe any other team would be interested in giving up valuable trade assets to get him. He had 44 pressures, 17 tackles, and 3.0 sacks last season, according to Pro Football Focus, and with the Cowboys giving up a league-worst 30.1 points per game and 125.5 rushing yards per game, that type of production doesn't match his salary.
Also, even if any team believes last year was a fluke or that his struggles were because of Matt Eberflus' system, there's little to no incentive to trade for him. The Cowboys will probably have to release him, so why give up anything when he can be pursued as a free agent?
That leaves the Cowboys with the obvious choice. Cutting him would free $21.5 million in cap space, regardless of if they do it before or after June 1. They're already spending big bucks on Quinnen Williams and Osa Odighizuwa, so there's no need to keep Clark at that price rate.
The Cowboys need to bolster the secondary and figure out a way to keep George Pickens in town. Clark is a great player, but he just wasn't a good fit, and there's no logical reason to keep him in Arlington in 2026.