Cowboys LB room in for a change with new additions
On Wednesday, the Cowboys signed free agent linebacker Jack Sanborn and traded for Kenneth Murray Jr. They’re logical moves based on Dallas’ current circumstances at LB, but bad news for fourth-year prospect Damone Clark. Needing opportunities to play in the final year of his rookie deal, Clark may now be fighting just to make the roster.
Clark started every game in 2023 after injuries to Leighton Vander Esch and DeMarvion Overshown. It was dire straits that year at linebacker; that was the season they had to use Markquese Bell just to field a team. But even if he was a necessary evil as a starter, Clark picked up tons of experience and you’d have thought that would keep him in the mix going forward.
Last year, though, Dallas signed veteran Eric Kendricks and drafted Marist Liufau in the third round. Combined with Overshown’s long-awaited debut, Clark got squeezed out of the rotation. He went from 784 defensive snaps in his starting season to just 163, which mostly came early in the year while Liufau was still getting acclimated. Even after Overshown’s Week 14 injury, Clark couldn’t get on the field outside of special teams.
Given the team’s reluctance to play him last year and these new additions, Clark seems to be on his way out in Dallas. And with his fourth-year cap hit escalated to $3.47 million, he may not even make it to training camp. Dallas can clear nearly all of that, $3.41 million, if they release Clark this offseason. So depending on what happens in the draft or with the remainder of free agency, you could see Clark becoming a cap casualty before he even gets a chance to compete.
Even with Overshown expected to miss some part of 2025 from last year’s injury, you still have Liufau, Murray, and Sanborn as the projected top three. Liufau was an emerging playmaker as his rookie season closed, Murray has been a full-time starter for most of his five-year career, and Sanborn is our first “Eberflus guy” in 2025 coming from Chicago. With Matt Eberflus known for playing a lot of nickel defense, a fourth LB is going to have a hard time finding much playing time. That’s especially true for Clark given that he’s not a run-stopper, which would limit him in more base 4-3 and short-yardage looks.
Still, Dallas is in no rush to clear Clark’s cap space. They’re flush with it after restructuring Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb’s deals, and then not spending much so far in 2025 free agency. So the Cowboys could certainly let Clark go to Oxnard and see what he can do, perhaps as nothing more than an insurance policy. Whether they cut him now or in late August, the cap impact is the same. The only risk there is Clark himself getting injured this offseason.
While Dallas is generally loathe to make deals with division rivals, could the Cowboys find Clark a new home in Washington? Dan Quinn was his DC when he was drafted and when he started all those 2023 games. Even if Dallas could just get an additional sixth- or seventh-round pick for him, that wouldn’t be bad given they only used a fifth to draft him in 2022. They could also ring up Pittsburgh where Scott McCurley, who was Clark’s LB coach for the last three years, now holds the same job with the Steelers.
Given how his stock fell last year, Damone Clark’s fate probably isn’t a big concern to many Cowboys fans. But it’s a surprising turn for a guy who played such a significant role just two seasons ago, and it shows how fast things can change in the NFL with personnel moves and coaching staff changes. Would Clark’s trajectory have improved if Quinn hadn’t left last year, or if a different DC had replaced him than Mike Zimmer? We’ll never know. But what we do know is that as far as 2025 goes, Clark appears to be moving closer to the end of his run in Dallas.