Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark sounds eager to square off against quarterback Jordan Love and his other former Green Bay Packers teammates when the two teams clash this weekend for Sunday Night Football in Week 4.
Clark unexpectedly went from the Packers to the Cowboys roughly one week before the start of the 2025 regular season. The Packers had packaged the three-time Pro Bowler with two first-round picks and traded him to Dallas in exchange for All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons, bidding farewell to their defensive centerpiece of the past nine years.
“That’s probably the most shocked I’ve ever been in my life,” Clark said about the trade on Wednesday when speaking with Cowboys reporters. “Of course, I heard the rumors that the Packers were going to trade for Micah and all that stuff, but I never thought it was gonna be me that was gonna be traded. It is what it is.”
But while Clark insists there is nothing personal about taking on his former team, he did admit that he is excited about the prospect of getting to run down Love, who has only ever worn a red, do-not-hit jersey against Clark in their practices over the years.
“Yeah, you get to hit now,” Clark said with a smile. “I’m excited, bro. I’m excited. It’s been a long time coming, and it’s definitely something I’ve been thinking about since I got traded here. You know what I’m saying? I’m excited to go.”
Kenny Clark Will Be ‘Handful’ for Packers Offense
The Packers know what to expect from Clark when he lines up against them for the first time in his decade-long NFL career. Unfortunately, the familiarity might not offer them much of an advantage, given how highly regarded Clark still is inside their building.
“He looks really good,” LaFleur said Wednesday about Clark’s start to the 2025 season. “Like I would expect, like he did when he was here. He’s going to be a handful.”
Clark — a 2016 first-round pick — dominated in his first nine seasons with the Packers, racking up 427 total tackles, 52 tackles for loss and 36 sacks over his 143 career games. He showed a particular strength against the run throughout most of his career, though he had plenty of tears on which he efficiently pressured opposing quarterbacks.
While Clark seemed to decline somewhat in 2024, he has played solidly thus far for the Cowboys, recording 10 tackles, one sack and nine pressures in his first three games.
Packers Could Face Cowboys Without 2 OL Starters
The Packers are also game-planning for Clark with the thought that they might not have two of their starting offensive linemen available against the Cowboys in Week 4’s game.
Neither left guard Aaron Banks nor Zach Tom practiced for a second straight day with the Packers ahead of their road matchup with the Cowboys. Tom has been nursing an oblique injury that held him out in Week 2 and forced him to exit after playing just one snap in Week 3’s loss. Banks also left early from last week’s game with a groin injury.
The Packers also held out second-round rookie Anthony Belton — their presumptive replacement for Tom at right tackle — from Thursday’s second practice because of an ankle injury after he practiced in a limited capacity to start the week on Wednesday.
While the Packers will have one more practice to better assess their injured offensive linemen, they could find themselves at a distinct disadvantage against Clark and the rest of the Cowboys’ defensive front if they are down one or more of their starters.
Either way, Clark won’t be focused on catching up with his buddies — only on winning.
“When it’s game time, I’m in the game,” Clark said. “If those guys want to come up, I ain’t seeking it out. It’s all love, and they know it’s all love. After the game or before the game, we can do that, but I ain’t seeking out for nothing. I’m trying to win the game.
“I’m gonna play my ass off and do everything I can for us to get a win.”
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