Dallas City News

The Dallas Cowboys struggled against the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs due to their inability to stop the run at the second level, particularly at the linebacker position. When DeMarvion Overshown and Leighton Vander Esch suffered season-ending injuries, it exposed the team’s lack of depth at the linebacker position. Safety Markquese Bell, who is 6’ 3” and 205 lbs, stepped in to fill the emergency situation, but his body frame isn’t suitable for playing linebacker in the NFL.

The team signed veteran free agent Rashaan Evans last season to address the issue, but that didn’t last long. The coaches had no choice but to put their trust in Bell and second-year player Damone Clark to lead the group for the rest of the season.

Clark was expected to make a significant leap in his first full season with the Cowboys after showing promise as a rookie, but he had been struggling in the final weeks of the season, raising questions about his job security and future as a starter.

Well, a few days into training camp, it sounds like Clark has put the calls for his job on hold.

On the latest episode of Love of the Star with Bobby Belt and Bryan Broaddus, Belt brought up the interview 105.3 The Fan had with tight end Jake Ferguson and how he put Clark on their radar as a player who will elevate his game this year.

Belt: “Ferguson, to his credit, we asked him, ‘Who are the guys that every year we always hear, oh, this guy is making a leap, this guy’s good.’ He named two players for us, and I’ve heard the same names. After he said it, they’ve showed up at practice, and I’ve heard people glowing about them the two guys he said he thinks would be taking a leap—Jalen Tolbert and Damone Clark. And we’ve heard positive things about both of those guys.”

Broaddus: “A lot of whispers. A lot of whispers about [Damone] Clark…a lot of positivity…I think he’s with the right group of coaches. I think he’s with the right group, I really do. These guys will help him, I really believe that. I’m excited. He looks good running around out there, man.”

Bobby Belt: “I think Mike Zimmer’s got a plan for him.”

Broaddus: “You think Mike [Zimmer] likes him?”

Belt: “I do, and I think Mike Zimmer has an idea of, like, alright, I think I know how to use him because we talked about that—Damone Clark needs to fit into a specific box, and I think Mike Zimmer has a vision for that, which I think would be very beneficial.”

Broaddus: “I agree.”

It’s not like Clark is a bad player by any stretch of the imagination. He led the team with 109 combined tackles and started all 17 games. When Vander Esch was in the lineup, Clark’s play seemed to be better, considering LVE was the one calling the plays. It allowed Clark to play more freely.

When LVE went out of the lineup, it looked like Clark didn’t trust his instincts the same way and wouldn’t make the right reads in the run game. If he needs a veteran linebacker next to him to be a better NFL linebacker, then so be it.

Patrick Queen faced similar criticism during his time with the Baltimore Ravens until Roquan Smith joined the team. Smith’s arrival allowed Queen to shift away from the middle linebacker position, reducing the pressure on him and enabling him to have the best seasons of his career in 2022 and 2023.

With Eric Kendricks in the middle to call the defensive plays under Zimmer, Clark has been moved to be the defense’s strong-side linebacker, which has caught the attention of head coach Mike McCarthy.

During the team’s first padded practice on Tuesday, Clark was flying around in the team period with Kendricks and rookie Marist Liufau alongside him as the linebackers on the first-team defense.

If Clark can take another step forward and be the player he was at LSU before the back injury, he can take the Dallas defense to another level and show fans he’s not the same player he was against the Packers in the playoffs.