FRISCO, Texas – New Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark was getting his daughter, Kenaii, some ice cream on Thursday when he got a phone call.
The call was to inform him that he'd been traded from Green Bay to Dallas in exchange for Micah Parsons, one of the most significant trades in recent NFL history.
"I was shocked, but once Jerry and all those guys called me, Schotty and everybody, I just felt wanted. It's a blessing, I'm appreciative of it." Clark said.
Clark, 29, has spent all nine of his NFL seasons with the Packers, where he was a three-time Pro Bowler. As he begins the next chapter of his career in Dallas, he says the Cowboys are getting a player that is difficult to stop when playing at his best.
"No nonsense, you're going to get a dawg, somebody that's just all about football," Clark said. "I'm here to ball. I'm here to be my best self. I feel like when I'm my best self, there's nobody messing with me. That's what I bring to the table, I'm here to play my ass off."
With six days to go until the Cowboys kick off the season against the Philadelphia Eagles, Clark has to quickly get acclimated to his new teammates as well as his role in the locker room.
"First and foremost, just establishing myself by how I play," Clark said. "And just being myself, establishing myself as a leader. I lead by example, I truly believe in being a pro and doing things the right way."
The good news is Clark has familiarity with his newest running mate Osa Odighizuwa. The two both went to UCLA, and Clark was teammates with Odighizuwa's older brother Owamagbe "Owa" Odighizuwa.
"I'm just excited to meet the guys, meet all those guys and play with those guys and just break bread with them." Clark said.
Jerry and Stephen Jones said in Thursday's press conference that stopping the run was one of the biggest reasons why they traded Parsons. A premier defensive tackle was one of the requirements from their trade partner, and they feel they've got that in Clark.
Over the course of his career, Clark has amassed a 11.1% run stop rate and 14.2% run tackle rate. In 2024, Clark registered a 4% run stuff rate, the highest of his career, on 10 run stuffs which was the second most of his career.
While the numbers are certainly good over the course of his career, Clark believes that having success stopping the run goes far beyond just his efforts.
"When it all comes down to stopping the run, it's all about physicality and setting edges," Clark said. "I think as long as we're doing our job as a defense, it all takes 11. It takes all of us understanding how to stop the run and it takes all of us holding each other accountable every day to know our responsibilities and play the run so we can be able to rush the passer."
While stopping the run is of paramount importance for Dallas, Clark has shown that he can rush the passer too. He's tallied 35 career sacks, with a career high 7.5 coming in 2023. In Matt Eberflus' attack front scheme, Clark's versatility could get him back up to a number similar to that of his Pro Bowl year two season ago.
"I pride myself on being an all-around defensive tackle, but I'm primarily a nose tackle. That's my bread and butter…" Clark said. "I can slide out to three in pass rushing situations or whatever the case may be, but wherever they put me, I'm going to make plays."
His first chance to try and help on the defensive line will likely come in six days against the reigning Super Bowl champions, with a prolific rushing attack being an early test for how good Dallas' run defense really is. For now, Clark is getting acclimated to his new home and is happy to be wearing a star on his helmet.
"It's a historic franchise, I wouldn't want no other thing other than to be sitting here," Clark said. I've got a chance to win a Super Bowl here and that's all I could ask for. That's what I want to do, I want to bring a Super Bowl back to the Cowboys."
