Damone Clark is a name worth remembering as we roll through training camp.
After the conclusion of last year, things did not look so good at the linebacker position for the Dallas Cowboys. The team’s leading tackler, Eric Kendricks, was an aging veteran whose one-year contract had expired. Still, the real setback was the injury to rising star DeMarvion Overshown who was expected to be out for an extended period. That left second-year player Marist Liufau as the team’s best linebacker. Liufau had a promising rookie season, but the team was in dire need of depth.
This offseason, the front office went to work. They made a deal with the Tennessee Titans to acquire former first-round pick Kenneth Murray. This gave the Cowboys a veteran presence with five years of starting experience who is only 26 years old. The team also added low-cost reserve Jack Sanborn from the Chicago Bears. Sanborn is another young body who, despite being an undrafted free agent, found himself making 19 starts over his three-year career. Just like that, the Cowboys had some depth at the linebacker position.
One player who has turned into an afterthought is fourth-year player Damone Clark. It has been an interesting journey for Clark, starting with a nose-dive in draft stock due to medical concerns. After undergoing spinal fusion surgery a month before the draft, Clark fell to the fifth round in the 2022 NFL Draft, where the Cowboys scooped him up. His recovery went well, and suddenly there was optimism for this once top-ranked college linebacker and his gradual emergence into the Cowboys defense.
Clark had a solid rookie season, playing in 10 games with flashes here in there, forcing two fumbles. The following season expectations were high, and he was thrown into a lead role as the team’s top linebacker. Leighton Vander Esch missed 12 games after suffering a neck injury. Vander Esch’s repeated issues with his neck ultimately ended his playing career. This left Clark and Markquese Bell to hold down the fort at linebacker. Bell was an undrafted free agent safety whom the team converted to linebacker. Clark started all 17 games and led the team in tackles, but the overall play of the linebacker group was meek at best.
Last season, after the team signed Kendricks, drafted Liufau, and saw the debut of Overshown, Clark was reduced to a special teams role. He only played four defensive snaps over the final eight games of the season last year. And with the new additions the Cowboys have this year, most figure he’ll continue to fade as he enters the final year of his rookie deal.
Not so fast.
Clark may not be done just yet. He is having a good showing in camp. Thanks to extra opportunities provided by Murray’s absence (due to the birth of his child), Clark has seen more action and is making plays. He has shown improvement in reading plays, seeing things more quickly than he has before. He had a nice strip on tight end Luke Schoonmaker. He is building a good rapport with new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and new linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi.
Eberflus will be his third defensive coordinator in as many years. While he disappeared in Mike Zimmer’s scheme, he had some good moments with Dan Quinn. Now, he’ll have a DC who is one of the league’s best linebacker coaches. If there was ever an opportunity for him to put things together, this would be it. With two contrasting seasons where he’s either been asked to do too much or not enough, this could be the year where he has a manageable role and provides a solid contribution at the linebacker position. This is something we should continue to keep an eye on, but he’s off to a promising start.