Tag: Damone Clark

Damone Clark may find better opportunity in new role on Cowboys

Damone Clark may be onto his third position in as many years with the Cowboys in 2024. | From @ReidDHanson

It hasn’t been an easy road for Damone Clark over the last three years. The former LSU standout linebacker was supposed to be a top pick in the 2022 draft before a failed medical evaluation, resulting in pre-draft spinal fusion surgery, that dropped him all the way to the Cowboys in the fifth round.

Many thought his rookie season would be a red-shirt year lost to recovery and rehab. What it proved to be was a medical marvel with Clark cruising through recovery and breaking into the Cowboys starting lineup for five games. In all, Clark would play a total of 414 snaps over the course of 10 games that season. Playing predominantly weakside LB (WILL), Clark flashed decent potential and looked every bit the steal Dallas hoped he’d be when they selected him 176th overall.

Things seemed to be back on track for Clark, until, of course, they weren’t. The Cowboys entered the 2023 season thin in their linebacker ranks. When they lost Leighton Vander Esch to what would be a career-ending injury, they were forced to move Clark into the middle (MIKE) to replace him. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Clark wasn’t a clean fit, but he had the length the Cowboys wanted at MIKE, so they forced the transition.

For as hard as he worked, Clark never took to the MIKE role. His instincts didn’t fit cleanly, and his run fits weren’t filled consistently. It was clear they miscast him in the middle but without other options available, the Cowboys had to roll with it. In just a matter of months Clark went from bright young star to weakness of the defense.

It’s understandable the Cowboys made it a point to address the MIKE spot over the offseason. In what was arguably their only notable signing, Dallas brought in Eric Kendricks to man the middle of Mike Zimmer’s defense. Behind him will likely be Cowboys rookie, Marist Liufau, a promising third round pick out of Notre Dame.

While the additions of Liufau and Kendricks free Clark to move back to his natural position of WILL, another player may ultimately block his opportunities. Coming back from an ACL injury is second-year player DeMarvion Overshown.

Overshown dropped jaws prior to his injury and is penciled in as the favorite to land the starting spot at WILL. Clark could certainly compete with Overshown, and snaps could be split between them in some way, but it’s unlikely Clark can steal a majority portion from Overshown.

It leaves Clark in an uncomfortable position. He can compete for a role alongside Overshown at WILL, or he can turn his attention to a different linebacker position without much competition. Strong side linebacker (SAM) could be that opportunity Clark is looking for.

Zimmer’s defense, like all NFL defenses, leans more on nickel looks which feature a third cornerback, than standard base looks that feature a third LB. Since NFL offenses typically employ heavy 11 personnel (three receiver sets) it’s the obvious rebuttal for a defense. This means the odd man out in nickel situations is often the SAM.

But just because the third LB role is part time, doesn’t mean it’s unimportant. The SAM is an important position because it adds size and run-stopping ability to the defensive unit on critical downs. Given their lack of LB depth last season, the Cowboys were unable to make this personnel shift in 2023. In Zimmer’s newly restocked pond, that shouldn’t be an issue in 2024.

A handful of the Cowboys’ fiercest opponents in the NFC are dominant running teams. Having a defense that match with those run-heavy packages is critical to Dallas’ survival. Clark would allow them to do that.

Clark’s best position is likely at WILL but with the bulk of those snaps expected to be going to Overshown, Clark may find his best opportunity comes at SAM. It would mark the third different position in as many years, but it would allow the Cowboys to get their best three LBs on the field at the same time, which always seems to be a goal of the front office.

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‘Sky is the limit’: Cowboys rookie Marist Liufau gets early approval from fellow LB

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 3rd-round draft pick has been praised for his football IQ. Fellow linebacker Damone Clark raved about his motor one day into minicamp.

Marist Liufau hasn’t even earned a star decal for the side of his helmet yet, but one day into minicamp, the Cowboys rookie has already gotten rave reviews from one of his fellow linebackers.

The third-round draft pick out of Notre Dame was called a reach by some draft analysts, many of whom felt that Dallas should have used the 87th overall selection on a running back. But since his arrival, the Hawaiian-born Liufau has impressed Cowboys coaches with his intelligence, and now his teammates are seeing it first-hand, too.

“He’s a sponge,” third-year linebacker Damone Clark said Tuesday, per Patrik Walker of dallascowboys.com. “He asks a lot of questions. He goes out there and does everything 110 percent. He gives his all on every play, and the sky is the limit for him. Marist is going to be one of them ones.”

The team is counting on it. The Cowboys’ new linebacker corps- under the leadership of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer in his first year back on the job- will be anchored by veteran Eric Kendricks, who just joined the club in March. Clark led all Dallas ‘backers (except for Micah Parsons, who is only technically a linebacker on paper) with nearly 800 defensive snaps last year, but he’s just 23 and still developing. And second-year project DeMarvion Overshown has yet to take the field in a real game.

So Liufau figures to have a real opportunity to make an impact as a rookie. Zimmer said as much in May, when he hinted to The Doomsday Podcast that Liufau could be deployed in much the same way as Parsons.

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“Number one, he’s brilliant,” Zimmer told podcast hosts Matt Mosely and Ed Werder. “He catches on really quick. He wants to be so good and so intense that he’s almost too much at it right now. The other thing is I think he’s a really good pressure player, and I think having that with Parsons and another pressure player that is a linebacker, he can move somewhere else and Parsons can move somewhere else. I think those pieces add to confusion for the offense. Plus, he’s a really good rusher.”

It’s still early for the rookie, but after one day of mandatory minicamp, Damone Clark seems to agree.

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Cowboys reassign jersey numbers for 4 veterans, including new No. 1

Four veterans with new jersey numbers, including an ode to college. | From @KDDrummondNFL

In the midst of grabbing a slew of amateur talent, the Dallas Cowboys are still making other moves. The equipment department is busy preparing lockers for the team’s newest additions through the 2024 NFL draft, but they still have to make time to get some jerseys redone.

According to Patrik Walker of the team’s website, Dallas has officially redistributed jersey numbers to four different players.

Jayron Kearse has yet to sign with a new team in free agency, but the club has given his jersey number away. Now donning No. 1 will be third-year wideout Jalen Tolbert. Second-year linebacker DeMarvion Overshown will take over No. 13.

Veteran flyer and reclamation project Martavis Bryant will wear No. 84 and third-year linebacker Damone Clark will sport No. 18.

The former LSU product returns to the number he wore his final season with the Tigers, which is reserved for the best of the best leaders of that college program.

LSU’s Harold Perkins is set for a breakout year at inside linebacker in 2024

LSU’s Harold Perkins is set for a breakout year at inside linebacker this fall.

Brian Kelly made headlines earlier this week when he told The Advocate that [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] is gearing up to play inside linebacker in 2024.

Perkins’ usage was a point of contention last year. He excelled as a pass rusher in 2022, so fans and analysts questioned LSU’s decision to take him away from the edge. The staff tried a few different things, with Perkins eventually settling into a role at SAM linebacker.

The production wasn’t there. Perkins led the SEC in pass rush grade in 2022 and posted a pressure rate above 25%. In 2023, Perkins fell to 37th in pass rush grade with his pressure rate falling to 14%.

It’s fair to say LSU failed to make the most of Perkins in 2022. That was likely a key factor in Kelly firing defensive coordinator [autotag]Matt House[/autotag].

Kelly told On3’s JD Pickell that they didn’t maximize Perkins last year. Kelly added that Perkins needs to play better and the coaches need to do a better job at getting him involved.

“Everyone that watched last year would say that’s a guy that needs to play at a higher level, and that starts with coaching, and that starts with Harold really working at a higher level this offseason,” Kelly said.

So when news broke of the plans for Perkins in 2024, there were some groans on social media. But this time, it makes sense.

One factor contributing to the decision could just be that LSU has a coach it trusts to develop Perkins now.

New defensive coordinator [autotag]Blake Baker[/autotag] has a proven track record of developing linebackers. At LSU in 2021, he turned [autotag]Damone Clark[/autotag] and [autotag]Micah Baskerville[/autotag] into some of the SEC’s best. He did at Missouri too, with his defenses featuring some of the best linebacker units in the conference the last two years.

From a scheme standpoint, it makes sense too. You can’t have Perkins in a position to be coming off the field on LSU’s most important downs.

Perkins can’t play the edge every play. He doesn’t have the size for it and hasn’t shown he can consistently defend the run on the outside. When it’s not an obvious passing situation, offenses have shown a willingness to run right at him.

Now when it’s second and long, or third and long, it’s fine to put Perkins out there and just tell him, “Go get the quarterback.”

I think we’ll still see plenty of that this fall, but it fails Perkins and the defense to have him do that on a full-time basis.

LSU needs the help at inside linebacker, too. The Tigers could be fine at edge with [autotag]Dashawn Womack[/autotag] and [autotag]Bradyn Swinson[/autotag] potentially gearing up for breakout years of their own, but inside linebacker remains a question mark, with less depth and less experience.

If Perkins can figure it out there, he remains the best athlete on the field at a spot where LSU needs it. This is the best way to optimize LSU’s personnel. You’re also putting him in a better position to help defend the pass over the middle of the field, something LSU’s secondary struggled to do last year, but looked better when getting help from Perkins.

Even with the staff overhaul, LSU’s defense is facing an uphill battle in 2024. There are major questions at cornerback and defensive tackle and some of those concerns will remain heading into the season. Having a defensive star like Perkins can help mitigate those issues, but it’s key that LSU gets the most from him this fall.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Fixer Upper: Cowboys LB corps a rebuild project worthy of DIY TV

The Cowboys will need to make multiple additions to the LB group in 2024, leaning on both free agency as well as the NFL draft. | From @ReidDHanson

The Cowboys’ issues at the linebacker position have been well-documented. A shallow position group coupled with a major injuries atop the depth chart resulted in disaster for Dallas last season. Things were never the same once Leighton Vander Esch joined DeMarvion Overshown on IR.

The Cowboys were forced to lean on the safety group far too often, exposing their run defense and overworking their nickel group. It resulted in a late season collapse that extended into the playoffs.  Unlike other many offseasons, the situation is unlikely to correct itself through the natural healing process.

Vander Esch’s neck injury, coupled with his gaudy medical history, make him seem a longshot to return in 2024. Overshown may be expecting a full recovery from his preseason ACL tear but the same was said of Terence Steele and Michael Gallup once upon a time. Cautious optimism is probably the responsible way to view Overshown.

Additionally, Marquese Bell is likely to bounce back to his natural position of safety. He made the transition to LB out of utter desperation, but at 6-foot-3, 205-pounds, he’s better suited for a box safety role again. And with Jayron Kearse likely to leave in free agency, the opportunity for Bell to claim a top-3 safety role will be there for the taking.

Damone Clark will return for his third season with the Cowboys, but his 2023 was largely underwhelming. Like everyone else, he was leaned on too much and forced into too many ill-fitting roles.

So the two, starting-caliber LBs expected to return in 2024 both have some obstacles to overcome: Overshown a significant knee injury and Clark some inconsistent play.

And all of that is based on the scheme of the departed defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. The needs may expand to three starting-quality LBs depending on who assumes the title next. Either way, major moves will be needed in Dallas just to reach bare minimum levels.

Given the situation, the Cowboys will likely need to utilize both free agency and the draft to build out the unit.

Off-ball LB tends to be a plug and play position so Dallas should lean on the draft to do the heavy lifting.

It’s noteworthy that of PFF’s top-20 graded LBs last season, 15 of them are 27-years-old or younger. It’s a position that often burns out quickly so any veteran signing should be done with caution.

Since the Cowboys probably need to find a starter in the 2024 draft, there’s a good chance they’ll use a top-100 pick to address the position. But they need to be prepared for anything since sometimes the draft doesn’t fall the way a team thinks it will. That requires Dallas to, at the very least, pick up a serviceable option in free agency.

Expect major changes this offseason.

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The 4 most important 3rd-year players for the Cowboys in 2024

The Cowboys didn’t get a ton out of their rookie class, but these soon-to-be third-year players are tasked with making up the difference. | From @TimLettiero

The Dallas Cowboys are going to have to play the waiting game when it comes to their 2023 draft class. Things didn’t go according to plan with the group, as there was little initial impact from the group of youngsters, which has not been the norm with the club under Will McClay. It was all good the year prior, as the Cowboys have been getting plenty of contributions from the previous haul.

Dallas hit big time in the 2022 draft, and are starting to see the fruits of their labor. With multiple key contributors, some even high-end starters, this class is poised to be central to future championship pushes. Here are the four most important third-year players to watch in 2024.

Cowboys LB Damone Clark fined for roughness; 2 Bills docked for hits on Dak Prescott

From @ToddBrock24f7: The linebacker grabbed the helmet opening of James Cook during a first-quarter tackle in Week 15 but did not draw a penalty flag.

Referee Craig Wrolstad’s crew didn’t deem it a penalty at the time, but the NFL has stepped in and decided that Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark used unnecessary roughness in bringing down Bills running back James Cook during the Dallas loss last Sunday.

Clark has incurred a fine of $5,170 for the play.

The incident came just as the first quarter ended. On the second play following Sam Williams’s roughing the punter penalty and down 7-0, the Cowboys defense found themselves chasing Cook after a short pass turned into a chain-moving scamper.

Markquese Bell had the first crack at Cook but missed the tackle. Twenty-four yards downfield, Stephon Gilmore and Clark finally pushed him out of bounds. Replays showed that, in the process of tossing him to the ground, Clark gripped Cook’s helmet opening under the ear hole.

Had officials seen it live, it almost certainly would have brought a 15-yard personal foul penalty and would have been the second committed by the Cowboys on that drive. Buffalo ended the possession with a touchdown anyway, extending their lead to 14-0 en route to a dominant 31-10 victory.

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Two Bills defenders also picked up hefty fines during the Week 15 meeting. Safety Taylor Rapp will be docked $21,855 for the first-quarter late hit on Dak Prescott that prompted guard Zack Martin to play enforcer, and linebacker Tyrel Dodson’s head-to-head shot on Prescott in the second quarter will cost him $11,167. Both hits were deemed unnecessary roughness; both were called as penalties during the game (although Rapp’s was offset by Martin’s retaliation).

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Did you see Bills’ Dion Dawkins destroy a Cowboys defender?

That’s a tough look:

In basketball, getting “put on a poster” is bad. No one wants the memory of them being dunked on locked into a photo on someone’s wall for the rest of time.

In a football sense, that happened to Cowboys defender Damone Clark thanks to Dion Dawkins.

The Bills offensive lineman cleared the way on a carry by running back James Cook against the Cowboys in Week 15. Cook did a ton of work in the game the Bills won 31-10, but on this play, kudos goes to Dawkins.

He blocked Clark, quite literally, all the way down the field.

Did you catch it live? Watch it back in the NFL clip below:

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Cowboys banking big on Bell, Clark with Vander Esch out for year

How good Markquese Bell and Damone Clark have been for the Cowboys and why it’s so important they stay healthy going forward. | From @ReidDHanson

It seems as if the Cowboys pulled off the Band-Aid on the Leighton Vander Esch situation. Speaking on 105.3 the Fan Tuesday, Dallas owner Jerry Jones announced their star LB would miss the remainder of the season following a neck injury suffered in Week 5.

Initially there were hopes the 27-year-old would return from IR at some point in 2023. But the severity and nature of the injury coupled with his history of neck issues made that little more than wishful thinking. Now the reality has set in and Dallas must settle in to their alternative options for the remainder of the season.

As for Vander Esch’s long-term prognosis, it’s likely nothing will be decided officially until the offseason. But the short-term fallout is something that needs to be recognized. Reinforcements are not on the way this season and aside from some possible low-level churning, this is the LB squad Dallas has from here on out.

Even for a team like the Cowboys, who run very little base defense and rely heavily on their safeties in big nickel groups, they are desperately thin at the LB position. Only Damone Clark and Micah Parsons are listed as official LBs on the active roster.

Granted, Parsons is primarily an EDGE and Markquese Bell is a LB in most senses of the job description, but the point remains: they are thin and possibly an injury away from disaster.

When the postseason nears and yards get tough, having legit LBs on the field will be key. Jayron Kearse and Donovan Wilson are nice in a pinch and can serve many of the LB responsibilities, but they have limitations against the run.

While Dallas has multiple options on their practice squad, Clark and Bell are the only true starting level entities on the roster. Preserving them for the season is paramount because they represent the Cowboys best efforts at LB and especially at run defense.

McCarthy vs 1st-and-10 among 3 key matchups in Cowboys-Chargers

The Cowboys need to correct course and notch a win over the Chargers before the bye and to achieve that they must win these 3 key matchups. | From @ReidDHanson

The Cowboys can’t turn the page fast enough after Week 5’s massacre and Monday Night Football against the Chargers gives them a chance to save a little face before heading into the bye week and recalibrate their strategies.

Winning the final Week 6 contests takes them to a record of 4-2 and in great position for a playoff run. Losing evens them at 3-3 and sends them on a completely different course heading into the meat of their schedule. As always, there are key players and matchups which should influence the game more than others.

As was pointed out earlier this week, Dak Prescott has never lost back-to-back road games before, so chances are he’ll bounce back in a big way.

With Kellen Moore leading the offense in Los Angeles, it will be a battle of play-callers on Monday night. McCarthy sent Moore packing just months ago so he could do things his way in Dallas. Needless to say, things haven’t gone great for McCarthy and now Moore gets an opportunity to show Cowboys fans the grass isn’t always greener.

Dan Quinn also factors big into the equation since he’ll be leading the Cowboys defense against Moore. Quinn didn’t fare well against his former coordinator when Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers embarrassed him last week. Like Shanahan, Moore also has intimate knowledge of Quinn’s defense.

An argument can be made the key matchups in Week 6 will be between coaches, but what fun is that? Instead let’s look at some of the matchups on the field and see what could determine the game.