When the Dallas Cowboys traded away Micah Parsons in one of the most shocking moves in NFL history, defensive tackle Kenny Clark was seen by many experts as a throw-in. Throughout the 2025 season, there was even speculation that he would eventually be released or traded again.
Less than a year into his time in Dallas, the veteran has entrenched himself as a key piece of the Cowboys' rotation. Instead of becoming a cap casualty, he entered this offseason as a building block on Christian Parker's defense moving forward.
Jerry Jones just confirmed the 30-year-old's spot in the Cowboys' lineup by trading away two defensive tackles in quick succession. If there was any doubt about Clark's value to this team, it's gone now.
The Dallas Cowboys' DT trades confirm Kenny Clark's role on defense
Soon after the start of the new league year, the Cowboys made two quick trades involving interior defensive linemen. First, they sent Osa Odighizuwa to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a third-round pick. They followed it up by moving Solomon Thomas to the Tennessee Titans for a late-round pick swap.
Both moves brought back less value than fans may have hoped for, but they sent a clear message about Clark's position on the roster. It looks like the Cowboys plan to move forward with Clark and Quinnen Williams as their starting defensive tackle duo.
The veteran's impact on the team was easy to miss in 2025. His four sacks and six run stuffs don't jump off the stat sheet. But he was able to hold down a starting job for the entirety of the 2025 season, helping the unit improve drastically throughout the year. Starting-caliber defensive tackle play is difficult to find in the NFL, and that's exactly what Clark provides for Dallas.
It's easy to question why the Cowboys would move on from Odighizuwa a year after signing him to a massive contract extension, especially in favor of a 30-year-old, but Jones seems to have decided that Clark is a better fit for the team at his current cost.
Less than seven months after getting sent to Dallas as an afterthought in a trade focused around Parsons, Clark has apparently become one of the key members of the Cowboys' defense.
Time will tell whether Jones was right to choose the veteran over his other options at the position, but there's no more questioning his value to this team.