It was an eventful trade deadline for the Dallas Cowboys, who added two difference-makers on defense: All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets, along with former Bengals starting linebacker Logan Wilson.
Williams, who has been named to the Pro Bowl each of his last three seasons, is expected to change the defensive front for Dallas upon arrival.
But what might that mean for veteran DT Kenny Clark? Could he ultimately get cut in 2026? “Popular opinion has pointed to Kenny Clark as the player most likely to lose long-term,” Reid D. Hanson of Cowboys Wire wrote on November 5, after the addition of Williams, adding:
“Clark’s contract has an escape hatch after the season and would offer a smooth financial transition for the Cowboys. But Clark’s exodus should by no means be seen as a forgone conclusion. His cap hits over the next two seasons are a manageable $21.5 million and $20 million, respectively. If he can elevate his play alongside the rest of the defense, there’s no reason for the Cowboys to cut bait after the season.”
More on Why Addition of Quinnen Williams Could Result in the Dallas Cowboys Cutting DT Kenny Clark
GettyKenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa of the Dallas Cowboys. Will Clark be cut in 2026 after the Quinnen Williams addition?
Clark arrived in Dallas as part of the Micah Parsons deal.
A former first-round pick who had 380 tackles, 34 sacks, 47 tackles for loss and seven forced fumbles over eight seasons in Green Bay, the veteran DT inked an extension with the Packers in 2024 for three years and $64 million. The Cowboys inherited that money when he was moved.
Clark’s deal has a $7.5 million roster bonus due early in the 2025 league year and an even bigger $11 million roster bonus in 2026.
“Long-term it could be bad for Clark, if the veteran can’t bounce back this season and play up to his usual standard,” Hanson also noted.
Thus, the remainder of 2025 will be huge for the former Packer.
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Considering Dallas just traded significant draft capital to get a younger, more explosive interior disruptor in Williams and they already extended Osa Odighizuwa earlier in the season, Clark becomes an expensive No. 3 at a position where teams usually want cost-controlled depth.
Financially, moving on would make loads of sense. Because the extension was heavy on roster bonuses rather than new guarantees, releasing Clark next year would prevent big chunks of cash from hitting Dallas’ 2026 books. Over the Cap’s outline of his contract shows the Cowboys can avoid the $11 million 2026 trigger altogether if Clark isn’t on the roster on the third day of the league year.
Performance is part of it, too. Clark is a solid vet, but he’s nowhere near the kind of week-to-week game-wrecker Williams has been. If your interior has Williams’ get-off plus Odighizuwa’s familiarity with the scheme, paying Clark starter money for rotational work is probably not going to happen.
The NFL is, above all, a business, and few see that more clearly than Jerry Jones. Even a well-respected veteran like Clark can become a cap casualty — not because he’s cooked, but because he was simply replaced by someone better.
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