The Dallas Cowboys fought hard against the Houston Texans on Monday night and they still lost by three touchdowns. That has been a recurring theme this season and many fans already have turned the page to 2025.
The Cowboys made a flurry of changes to their starting defense in the game. They started Josh Butler, who was elevated from the practice squad, to start opposite Trevon Diggs, and gave Israel Mukuamu the start at nickel in place of the injured Jourdan Lewis.
It was a roll of the dice by Mike Zimmer, albeit a necessary one. However, the most surprising personnel change arrived when Dallas announced its inactives.
Among the team's four healthy scratches was linebacker Damone Clark, whose found playing time hard to come by this season. While there are still six games left on the schedule, this does not bode well for Clark's future with the organization.
Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark was a healthy scratch in Week 11
Damone Clark being a healthy scratch for the #Cowboys tonight is… noteworthy.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) November 18, 2024
Clark started all 17 games last season and played 398 snaps as a rookie in 2022, but he's taken a distant backseat in Zimmer's linebacker rotation.
The Cowboys signed Eric Kendricks to be their field general and DeMarvion Overshown is putting together a sublime year after a knee injury wiped out his rookie season. Additionally, fourth-round pick Marist Liufau has seen steady playing time in year one.
Entering Week 11, Liufau had played 210 defensive snaps. Clark had played 159, including 20 last week against the Eagles when he posted a 29.5 PFF grade. Only cornerback Caelen Carson had a worse grade. Clark's 33.5 run-defense grade was the worst on the team.
While Clark didn't play a full complement of snaps, those numbers are damning. He's struggled to carve out a role and it seems the writing is on the wall regarding his future. While Zimmer is no lock to return in 2025 - logic says he won't be back - Clark also disappointed last year in Dan Quinn's final season.
If the Cowboys were to cut Clark, they would save $1.1 million on the cap and absorb a palatable $60.639 million in dead money, per Over The Cap. It's certainly within the realm of possibility.
Clark's one saving grace to remain in Dallas might be to impress a potential new defensive coordinator. That, of course, is assuming Zimmer isn't brought back and the team makes a timely hire before it begins to make cap casualties.
A lot can change between now and January, but it's looking increasingly unlikely that Clark won't be back with the Cowboys in 2025.