Inside The Star
In the aftermath of Dallas’s Week 15 loss to the Vikings, we’ve seen an understandable shift in discussion around America’s Team from 2025 to 2026 and beyond. One of these topics is the Cowboys salary cap situation heading into the offseason.
You don’t need me to tell you that Dallas has some very expensive players on the roster; after all, that was the general reason why they traded Micah Parsons.
While avoiding the massive extension Green Bay’s now-injured superstar received helped the Cowboys out, it didn’t magically fix all their money problems overnight. The team is still paying Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and potentially George Pickens massive amounts.
This means the 2026 offseason will see “cap casualties,” as they will need extra money to operate in free agency, the trade market, and with upcoming extensions.
Specifically, there is one high-quality and new-to-Dallas player that may fall victim to the Cowboys’ financial constraints. Here, we’ll talk about him and the money it would save by releasing him in 2026.
That’s right, the man in question is the player Dallas received from Green Bay this summer in exchange for the All-Pro Parsons.
Kenny Clark, 30, joined the Cowboys, alongside two first-round picks, and has played well in a reformed interior defensive line that now includes both Quinnen Williams and Osa Odighizuwa. Due to the financial details above, the trio may last one season.
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1961176707064533270
Dallas immediately saved over $20M if they cut Clark this offseason; that is nothing at all to scoff at. It could help them pay Pickens or be aggressive in free agency.
The arrival of Williams at the trade deadline this year will also be something to consider, as keeping all three premier defensive tackles would mean dedicating a significant chunk of the salary cap to a position that doesn’t need three elite talents.
Of the three, Clark is the oldest and the most strategically beneficial to release, due to his non-existent cap penalty. Williams, Odighizuwa, Solomon Thomas, and a new external talent (or Jay Toia) is as strong a defensive tackle room as Dallas has had this century.
It may cause some temporary fan outrage, considering Clark’s involvement in the Parsons trade, name recognition, and solid play this year, but it will pass. In addition to guys like Trevon Diggs and Terence Steele, Kenny Clark could absolutely be cut in the coming months.
