Kenny Clark: Excited About the Future | Dallas Cowboys 2025

Kenny Clark: Excited About the Future | Dallas Cowboys 2025

Can you just talk about what you were doing when you got the news and your initial reaction? Man, I had uh I had just went to go to the uh store, got my my daughter some ice cream, and uh got home, man, it was just just random, you know, got the call. Uh definitely was shocked. I didn’t really know much, you know, to say. Uh but man, after talking to Jerry and Stephen and Shotty, like, you know, I felt felt welcomed and uh you know, they made me feel at home and uh it was dope. How much were you kind of following just the Michael Parsons rumors in general? They’ve been kind of lingering for a little while. Yeah, it was a lot of uh Yeah, it was a lot of rumors and all that kind of stuff. Um I mean I didn’t know, you know, what what the situation was going to be, but uh definitely, you know, heard all the rumors. Was there buzz around the locker room and, you know, guys probably theorizing that, you know, a trade might be coming soon? Nah, I mean, we we didn’t talk about it much. Um but, uh of course heard like heard heard the rumors. What do you see as what do they tell you? Is it like your role? my role here, man. I’m here to play ball, man. Um whether it’s whether it’s nose tackle, three tech, um I’m just here here to be be the best def defensive tackle I can be. How healthy are you? I know last year you were dealing with some foot issues. How healthy are you right now? I’m feeling great. I had a a toe had a toe thing last year and uh got surgery and um you know, all that stuff behind me. So, I’m good. How familiar are you with Oso Disa and his game? Uh very familiar. Um, I played with his older brother, OA, uh, back at UCLA and of course he went to UCLA. So, I’ve been knowing him for for years and, uh, I’m happy, you know, it all come full circle and we can play together. Obviously, you played several seasons with the Packers and Eva Fle who’s now your defensive coordinator. He was head coach in Chicago. What do you know of his defense and what can you be in his defense? Man, uh, it’s attacking front. Um, you know, we we trying to stop the run and get after the passer. uh getting up field uh you know physical going to run run to the ball and uh you know that’s all things on my belt. Kennedy obviously Michael Parsons is one of the premier players in this league. People know about him. You’re a three-time Pro Bowler as well. What can you tell people who are familiar with your game about quality of your game and what you have left in the tank? Uh man, you guys just watch the film. I don’t do too much talking. Uh you watch the film. Uh my my game speak for itself. What was your family’s reaction? Man, they were shocked. Um, man, it was just, you know, everybody it was just just shocked. Um, but, you know, happy we here. How old is your daughter? She’s school age. Yeah, she uh my my daughter’s for she she been smiling the whole time and that that’s that’s been what’s great. You know what’s been great about it? Both of my daughters, they they’ve been since I told her I got traded. They’ve been they’ve been smiling the whole time. So, uh yeah, I knew this was the the the right decision. I mean, the right move and uh yeah, it’s definitely cool. Is that her first time on a PJ? Uh second second time the fan base here was obviously shocked with Michael leaving tough for a lot of them to take. What’s your message to the fans in terms of the commitment that you bring? Uh man like you getting a football player, you getting a dog and uh a guy that’s you know that’s that’s going to give everything. I love football. This what I this what I love to do. No nonsense. Um you know I just want to play ball, man. This what I do. Any September 28th on your calendar at all that game? Say it. say circle that game September 28th. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, I’m excited for that. Yes, sir. I’m excited, man. How much do you feel? How much do you feel an obligation to sort of reassure the fans that win? Uh, that’s not my concern. Um, you know, my concern is to come here, play football, uh, be the best defensive tackle I can be and, uh, play ball. How do you balance the pressures of living up to the expectation of a trade like this to I guess not play football? That’s none of my concern. I’m just I’m just here to play football and be the best defensive tackle I can be. Stopping stopping the run has been a kind of a problem over here the last few years. They really talked about you last night as someone who could help be the solution for that. How much does that motivate you hearing that? And what can you kind of bring to this run? Man, um I mean I’m just gonna bring the physicality. Uh I’m gonna do my job. Um and I mean it take all 11 at the end of the day. Uh it just take everybody understanding what they need to do, holding everybody accountable. Um you know, one guy can’t just stop the run. You know, everybody got to be on on top of it. And uh you know, that’s going to be my job is to to to do my job and be physical, uh play ball how I know how to play ball and uh also get all all the other 10 guys around me, uh to understand, you know, their gaps and where they fit in and uh you know, how we can stop it together. When you got a contract, when you got a contract extension, were you thinking I’m retiring here because they took care of me? Uh, man, I mean, that was my that was my full plan. I thought I was going to be be there for life. Um, but I’m happy I’m here. How familiar are you with the scheme and how long do you think it’ll take you to get fully up? Uh, we played a little I mean, we played a little bit of attacking scheme uh last year. Um, so I’m pretty pretty much um caught up to it a little bit. Uh, a lot of the same principles and stuff like that. So, uh, and once I’m done with this, I’m going go into meeting rooms and, you know, get with coach and, uh, try to learn the playbook as fast as possible so we can, uh, hit the ground running against the Eagles. What did you think of your first practice out there? Uh, the atmosphere out there, man, it was great. It was great. I mean, I was watching the indie drills. Just love how t how intentional everybody been and uh, just how everybody worked, you know, u, you know, also leading the group and uh, just to see him, man, evolve to what he is and uh, you know, to see him lead, man. It was cool to see. So, I’m excited to be a part of it. So, the expectation you feel is that you got that you will be on the field against the Eagles. Yeah, I hope so. Yeah. Couple years ago came down here with the Packers and obviously got a playoff win. What do you remember most about that? Uh, man, it was a it was a great game. It was a great game. You know, it wasn’t wasn’t too many frowns. What do you process to be and what is realistic for you as far as a role six, man? Um, I mean, like I said, I’m I’m going to try to learn the playbook as fast as I can. Um, and so I can just play as fast as possible. And, uh, I mean, I’m in shape. I’m I’ve been practicing in Green Bay all all camp. Uh, I ain’t missing no time. So, uh, whatever whether it’s 30 plays, 50 plays, 20 plays, whatever it is, I’m going to be able to play. How does an attack run front fit your game? Uh, man um, I can get off the ball with the best of them. Um, I’m physical at the point of attack. Uh, I play with with great hands and great leverage. And what does it take in an attack run for a defensive lineman to really succeed? Is it that first step? Is it the confidence to and the strength to go through? What what really does it take? Uh, just man, just knowing uh knowing how you going to get blocked, a little bit of everything, you know. Uh, I try to try to pride myself on being a complete player. And uh, you know, to do that, you got to you got to do everything well. You got to have a great first step. You got to you got to know anticipate what’s coming. You got to play with great hands. You got to play with great effort. Uh you got to play physical and uh I think I do all all those things. You mentioned your conversation with Jerry. What was his main message to you? Uh man, this this trade wasn’t getting done unless I was in it and uh that that made me, man, feel feel wanted right there. Um and I’m happy to be here. I’m just blessed. I’m blessed. Back on being a complete player. You have a pretty healthy number of sacks in your career. What’s been your philosophy on pressuring the quarterback versus stopping the run and things along those lines? Uh just you know uh my my my power game um you know my hands uh and just playing relentless. You know at the end of the day you know you can have all the pretty moves and and all that kind of stuff but uh at the end of the day you got to be relentless and have effort to the quarterback mentioned being wanted. What what does that do for you? Man just it’s everything. Um just you know to to I mean I just got traded so I mean they they clearly didn’t want me and um I mean to to hear this trade weren’t getting done without you. I mean, it’s awesome. You talked about your four-year-old daughter, the trade, you know, they’re not they’re not following trades of what that means. How do you explain? So, I’m sorry. To the family, to your daughter. Your four-year-old, you say, “Hey, I got traded.” They like, “Oh, what is that?” Yeah. She she said she said, “We uh” When I told her I was we was going to uh Dallas, she was like like, “Oh, we going on vacation?” I’m like, “No, we we we still playing football.” Like, “We still here. We we just going, you know, we going a little bit away.” Uh, but like I said, man, she she been like my daughter is super shy if you know my daughter and she been man when she met Jerry like usually she she don’t want to shake no hands. She don’t want to fist pump nobody. Uh she ran right up up to him gave him a a fist pump handshake and just been excited and uh you know that’s that that explained in itself. How do you compartmentalize? You were in Green Bay for nine years. Build a lot of good information there and then in the span of 24 hours it’s even shorter than that. It’s it’s done. How do you compartmentalize those emotions? Yeah, man. It it was tough honestly. Uh you know, you spend so much time in one place and uh you got you know just stuck in your routine just everything. You know what I’m saying? And uh you know you come you I mean yeah this just happened you know and it’s just so fast you know they just tell you you traded and next thing you know you got Jerry calling you we getting on the plane like I didn’t know you know what I’m saying this is my first time being on another team so you know it just happened so fast. I know there’s happiness associated with it but is there any you know sadness or anything else that you kind of feel No I’m happy man I’m happy uh man as long as I’m playing football this this is what I love to do. Being an LA guy, you happy to see In-N-Out Burgers here in town? Oh, yeah. That man, that’s the first thing me and my girl said when we when we got here. She was like, “Oh, I didn’t know they had an In-N-Out here.” And they got Water Burger, too. So, yeah. Waterburg. Both of them. I love both training camps close to home, too. Yeah. Yeah. I’m out I’m out. I’m out there in uh uh in that area like Thousand Oaks in that area. So, I’m I’m right down the street. So, uh yeah, that’s cool. Yeah. They practicing I mean, we we practice in Oxnard. So, uh that’s awesome. Have you had a chance to talk with Osa yet? and knowing that you’re going to line up next one. Yeah, I’ve been talking to all these guys all day, man. Um just I mean we all just excited, you know, about the future and um you know what we going to do this year. Uh you know, we got to just keep pushing each other and uh be intentional about you know, every day, every second that we have with each other. Uh grow with each other and uh you know, just build that rapport. When you got the the news about the trade yesterday, was it like uh wanted to make sure it was true? Did you I don’t know who told you about I don’t know. No, I I got the call from the head man. I I knew it was true uh when it happened. Um like I said, you know, it was it was shocking. Um I didn’t really have much to say to nobody. Uh it was just, you know, everything just happened so fast and um you know, it is what it is. I’m here and this franchise going to get everything I got. There’s a fan sentiment that, you know, this team, they lost Michael Parsons, they got worse yesterday. Why do you What would you say to say that this team got better yesterday? Uh man, my my game speaks for itself. Um, like I said, I mean, how anybody else could feel or whatever the case may be, that’s not my concern. Uh, I’m here to play football. I’m a football player. Uh, I’m a dog and this what I do. Things, you said things move so fast. Does the fact that a game is in six days maybe kind of help just kind of ease the transition where you just got to hey I got to focus on football for the next Yeah, I mean I mean after this like like I said I’m I mean this this is all behind me and uh yeah I mean I’m writing into the film and uh good thing we you know we played them last year the last game of our season last year. So I got a lot of film to look at and uh you know I can hit the ground running on that. Your new head coach has made relationships a very known priority for himself. What have the early moments of shot even man? Man, cool. I love his energy, man. Um, man, just, you know, great guy. Uh, you know, haven’t really got to know him too much, but, uh, from from, you know, early on, man, just just love his energy and love what he been bringing to the team. Uh, so I mean I mean I’m I’m ready to go. I’m excited. I apologize. What if any conversations you have with the Cowboys in the draft back in what was it 2016? Man, uh, I came up here for a visit. Uh, I did I came up here for a visit. I mean, I thought I thought if I wouldn’t win second round, I thought I was coming here, honestly. Uh, so I mean, yeah, it came full circle for real. What are the biggest challenges of that Philadelphia offense? Uh, I mean, it’s really all just doing your job, you know. Um, you got to tackle well against Saquon. Um, uh, you got to keep Jayen Hurst in in the pocket and not let him scramble. Uh, that that’s the big thing. And let those those drives get extended. And, uh, and you got to set edges. You got to set edges in the run game. And uh you got to close and uh you got to close backside. Um running the ball running to the ball is going to be key. Uh you know getting turnovers is going to be key. You got to punch the ball out. We got to get turnovers and um and yeah, I mean when we get when we get a chance to get after the quarterback. Uh we got to be smart, but at the same time we got to get after him. You were a man of the year finalist. Uh just talk about your community your off the field and what you enjoy about doing that. Uh, I mean, we didn’t have like we didn’t have too many like, you know, role models coming coming up where I grew up at and, uh, you know, too many guys that that do the things that that I’ve been doing for my community. And, uh, you know, I just I just think it’s just it’s huge, you know, for the kids to see my face. uh you know when I’m in the off in the offseason uh and you know just to spend time with me you know and um you know to to for them to understand that you know they can do the same thing that the same things that I’m doing you know whatever they their job career is or whatever uh you know they got that hope that they can do the same thing I’m doing given the battles last one right here given the battles that the Cowboys and Packers have had over the years especially most recently with the postseason how surreal is it for you to have that I’ll say it again how surreal is it for you to have a star Man, I mean, this is this is one of the the most or or the like most historic franchise, you know, in the league. Um I mean, everything everything here is is top-notch. Everything here is big, man. And uh I’m excited. I mean, I’m excited. I can’t like can’t really put it all into words. Um it’s just it’s a surreal moment for me, for my family. My family is excited. They they excited to be here. And um like I said, this franchise going to get everything I got. So, uh yeah, man. I’m excited about being here. How’s your ping pong game? I ain’t that good at ping pong. I ain’t that good. Thank you, sir. Nice to meet you all.

Cowboys newest DT Kenny Clark speaks with the media for the first time since being traded by the Green Bay Packers about the experience, what he will bring to the defensive line, his familiarity with teammate Osa Odighizuwa, and more.

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