The Dallas Cowboys have made significant improvements and changes in the offseason to revamp their defensive unit, which ranked near the bottom of the league in overall defense last season. 

Defensive tackle Kenny Clark expressed his confidence in how the defensive unit has turned out under the new defensive coordinator, Christian Parker, during the recent OTA media sessions.

“The attention to detail,” Clark said, per X post of The Cowboys Network. “This defense is going to be huge on the details, huge on pre-snap and all that kind of stuff. We've got a lot of smart players on all three levels of the defense, and that'll be great for us."

Clark also said the team is bringing energy and intentionality in improving every day, to be better than the 2025 season, per DallasCowboys.com.  

The Cowboys' defense struggled throughout the 2025 season. They set a franchise-worst record of 511 points, as they finished with a disappointing 7-9-1 record. Following that, they began a major defensive overhaul, starting with the hiring of DC Christian Parker.

They added talents that fit well with Parker's 3-4 'multiple' defensive scheme, headlined by veteran pass rusher addition Rashan Gary.

The Cowboys signed defensive backs Jalen Thompson, P.J. Locke, Cobie Durant, and Derion Kendrick, bolstering the depth in the secondary, according to the NFL's Michael Baca.

The team also used five of its seven draft picks on defensive players, headlined by Caleb Downs, to further bolster the unit.

“We were, what, like, 32^nd in the league? Yeah," Clark said, during the OTA session, per Dallas Cowboys.com. "We want to get that taste out of our mouths. But it’s a new year, we got to keep going and keep being intentional every day.”

Having witnessed the defense's struggles firsthand last season, Clark believes such changes made during the offseason could help the team perform better in the 2026 season.

Kenny Clark Opens Up on His Role Under Christian Parker

During the recent OTA media sessions, Kenny Clark said that he will be playing as a nose tackle, anchoring the interior defensive line.

"I'm primarily a nose, but I'll be playing everything as I have through most of my career," Clark said. "Three [technique], big-end, there's nothing I haven't played."

The Cowboys received Kenny Clark and the two first-round picks (2026 and 2027) in exchange for trading linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in 2025.

The 10-year veteran is familiar with DC Parker’s coaching from their time together with the Packers, where Parker served as a defensive quality control coach during 2019 and 2020.

He has recorded three sacks, 36 tackles (17 solo), six tackles for loss, and nine QB hits in 2025 with the Cowboys.

The three-time Pro Bowler recorded the fifth-most snaps of his career last season with 627. He hasn't missed a single game since the 2019 season with the Packers, highlighting his availability and durability, according to Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com.

With a defined role in Parker's defense scheme and proven experience, Clark is expected to play a key role in the revamped defensive unit heading into the 2026 season.

You can read more at the Dallas Cowboys Community!

Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi