The Green Bay Packers have a considerable hole to fill on the defensive line this spring and may look to a familiar name as the primary solution.

Injuries and the general war of NFL attrition beat down a Packers defense toward the end of the 2025 campaign that began the year as one of the league’s best. With the exception of perhaps the cornerback position, the interior of the defensive line felt those impacts most.

Part of the reason for that was Green Bay’s decision to trade three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys, along with two first-round picks, in the deal that brought back edge-rusher Micah Parsons.

Even despite Parsons’ ACL injury in Week 15, it is hard to imagine the Packers regret that move after the outside linebacker finished the year as a first-team All-Pro and third in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

That said, the team might like Clark back to resume his role as a defensive stopper up the middle, and Bill Huber of SI reported on Saturday, February 21 that such a reunion is a viable outcome next month.

“The Cowboys wanted Clark in the blockbuster Micah Parsons trade, but he was of little help to one of the worst defenses in the league,” Huber wrote. “At this point, the contract extension that Clark signed with the Packers — he is due an $8.8 million base salary and $11 million roster bonus — could send him out the door in Dallas and set up at least the potential of a reunion.

Kenny Clark’s Lack of Production, Remaining Salary Render Him Cut Candidate for Cowboys

GettyDefensive tackle Kenny Clark of the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys can cut ties with Clark and save $21.5 million against the 2026 salary cap. Doing so would cost the team nothing in terms of dead money and would also clear $20 million off the books for 2027.

Dallas remains more than $24.5 million over the cap for next year as of Monday and has a decision to make on wide receiver George Pickens who is coming off a career campaign and a second-team All-Pro selection.

Either an extension or a franchise tag for Pickens is going to prove pricey for the Cowboys, and the team must improve its 30th-ranked defense from last year. A replacement for Parsons to aid an ailing pass rush is the most logical upgrade, which is also going to cost given the current market at a premium position.

All of that points to Clark’s release making sense, particularly given his level of play in 2025. However, he did offer quality pressure on opposing quarterbacks up the middle in Dallas last season.

“It’s fair to note Clark’s level of play tapered off during his final season with the Packers, and he didn’t turn it around after the trade,” Huber wrote, before adding the pass-rush caveat. “Of 77 interior defensive linemen with at least 250 pass-rushing snaps in 2025, Clark was 21st in pass-rush win rate.”

Kenny Clark Played First 9 NFL Seasons With Packers

GettyFormer Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

If Dallas releases Clark, who will play next season at 31, before his roster bonus comes due in March, he will revert to an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team interested.

Those circumstances would allow Green Bay to offer Clark a more team-friendly contract and clear a path for a return to the franchise with which he played his first nine seasons.

Clark won’t fix the Packers’ defensive woes all on his own, but he could prove a step in the right direction at a reasonable price.

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