Cowboys: Teased addition could take defense to the next level
The Dallas Cowboys needed a little more insurance at the linebacker position coming into the 2022 season despite having Micah Parsons and Jabril Cox on the roster. Cox suffered a torn ACL as a rookie, and the depth otherwise was suspect, at best. Dallas decided to add to their linebacker room in round 5 of […]
The Dallas Cowboys needed a little more insurance at the linebacker position coming into the 2022 season despite having Micah Parsons and Jabril Cox on the roster. Cox suffered a torn ACL as a rookie, and the depth otherwise was suspect, at best.
Dallas decided to add to their linebacker room in round 5 of the NFL draft. They selected Damone Clark who would've been a Day 2 pick had it not been for spinal fusion surgery in March.
The Cowboys placed Clark on the NFI (Non-Football Injury) list seeing as they believed he would take the field at some point in his rookie campaign. That is closer to becoming a reality as the former LSU Tiger was activated on Wednesday, beginning his 21-day practice window.
Clark will now have to show significant progress during this practice window to be added to the 53-man roster. If not, he will be moved to the PUP list for the remainder of the season.
The Louisiana native was a stud during his days at LSU. Clark used his physicality to shed blockers, shoot through gaps, and attack downhill with his sure tackling ability. He will need to get better in coverage, but with his loaded tool bag of skills, Cowboys' defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has to be licking his chops to implement Clark into his defensive scheme.
If Clark can be placed on the active roster it will give Quinn more leeway at the linebacker position. Micah Parsons, the Cowboys' swiss army knife on defense, has already played 188 snaps as an edge rusher. Clark's ability to be a thumper in the middle could allow Quinn to put Parsons on the edge even more, and with veteran Anthony Barr and Jabril Cox having the skills to drop in coverage, the Cowboys' defense has a chance to be even more versatile.
Clark had a challenging road to make it back to action, especially with something as delicate as a spinal operation. Despite that, Clark has been diligent and patient during his rehab process, which Cowboys' head coach Mike McCarthy touched base on recently.
“This young man is here every day," McCarthy said. "I’m talking weekends. He’s here all the time. He’s ready.”
As that's left now is for Clark to ramp up his workload in practice to prepare for his NFL debut. Of course, as the Cowboys have been doing, they will be cautious and smart with Clark, whose impact could be immediate if all goes well over the next several weeks.
Feature image via Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
