Despite the Cowboys saying otherwise, it appears many are penciling in Clark to be a cap casualty this offseason, despite there being no reason for him to be.
It appears that Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark is the talk of the offseason. Well, at least over the past few days.
Why? It seems that everyone is ready to make him Dallas' top candidate this offseason to be moved on.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell had him getting traded to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for just a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Yes, that was really what Dallas would get back in this scenario.
Then we have others who think that because of Dallas' "poor salary cap situation," he will be released, and free up $21.5 million in cap space for the Cowboys.
But we know that Dallas doesn't have to cut Clark to create cap room, right?
Well, NFL.com's Matt Okada has listed Clark as the Cowboys' top cut candidate, and once again, the reasoning is all wrong.
"After trading Micah Parsons for Clark and two first-round picks, and emphasizing the importance of a better run defense, Jerry Jones and Co. might feel obligated to keep the 30-year old defensive tackle out of stubbornness," Okada wrote.
"Most importantly, however, the Cowboys are $30.1 million over the cap (third-worst in the league) and cutting Clark would free up all $21.5 million of his 2026 cap hit. If Dallas doesn't let Clark go, it's going to be very hard-pressed to make the money work across the entire edge-of-contention roster."
So Dallas went to all that trouble to obtain a veteran team leader and Pro Bowler in Clark ... and it was all just so they could cut him?
Here we go again.
The Cowboys won't be hard-pressed to make the money work if Clark is retained.
We have spoken at length about a restructuring of Clark's contract, which will likely be forthcoming. According to Over The Cap, if Dallas did pull that lever, it would free up $9.6 million in cap space.
Not to mention what doing the same with Osa, Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Tyler Smith would free up over $100 million in cap space
Not the $21.5 million if he was cut, but it's still a decent number for a simple flick of the switch.
Plus, we know how the Cowboys view their three stud defensive linemen in Clark, Osa Odighizuwa, and Quinnen Williams. That trio is seen as the building blocks for Christian Parker's offense.
So, on face value, the reasons why so many have Clark as a trade candidate are valid, but if you only dig below the surface a little, you will quickly find out that Dallas doesn't have to move on from Clark for any reason if it doesn't want to.
It's really that simple.