Cowboys' Damone Clark: 'Freedom' to 'Hit Some People!' As Starter

When it comes to feel-good stories, it was hard to go past Dallas Cowboys' Damone Clark last season. After undergoing spinal fusion surgery in March of last year, Clark, who was a fifth-round selection, wasn't expected to see the field much, if at all in his rookie season.

Well, he did, and when called upon, he grabbed chance with both hands. Now as he works his way through his first training real camp, Clark states that the game is now coming a little easier to him.

"Most definitely," he said. "Just going out there and having fun. [The game has] slowed down a ton. Just going out there and trusting my keys, trusting the guys around me, trusting myself and just going out there and playing.

"It's the same game I've been playing since I was five years old. … It feels good. Last year this time, I was on the sideline rehabbing. It feels good to be back out here."

With an injury to Anthony Barr, Clark was thrust into the 2022 spotlight against the Chicago Bears. It was a true sink-or-swim moment for a player who didn't have the luxury of a training camp behind him to physically prepare for the rigors of professional football.

But Clark didn't flounder, he thrived, as he totaled five tackles and was clocked moving at 22.19 mph, which was faster than Micah Parsons (20.41 mph) as the Cowboys took care of business 49-29 over the Bears.

Clark ended up playing 12 games (including the playoffs) and started in five, and now he is using the experience gained to push himself further along in his development in Dan Quinn's defense.

"I'm thankful and grateful that I got the opportunity to play last year," Clark said. "They allowed me to go out there [in 2022] — not having an offseason and the [freedom] to make mistakes. Now it's about learning from the mistakes I made last year and go out there and hit some people."

With Clark seemingly set to have a big say in the season for the Cowboys, it looks right now that he will be the one partnering Leighton Vander Esch.

But there is still a long way to go, and Clark is working hard to ensure that the lessons learned from last season are what propels him past others vying for a roster spot in Jabril Cox and DeMarvion Overshown.

Clark is off to a good start at training camp, and with last year's experience, looks to make the second-year leap that is so often talked about.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Cowboys?

Follow FishSports on Twitter

Follow Adam Schultz on Twitter

Follow Cowboys / Fish on Facebook

Subscribe to the Cowboys Fish Report on YouTube for constant daily Cowboys live reports!