Dallas Cowboys special teams ace taking advantage of opportunity at linebacker

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Kenneth Murray has been absent from training camp for the birth of his child, which has opened the door for a special teams ace and he's making the most of his opportunities.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys made a flurry of moves during the NFL offseason to improve at linebacker. Dallas traded a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for Kenneth Murray Jr. and a 2025 seventh-round selection.

Dallas also signed Jack Sanborn, who played for new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus during his tenure with the Chicago Bears.

Both Murray and Sanborn have been impressing early, but Murray, who is a favorite to start the season with the green dot for the Cowboys' defense, has been absent from practice for the past few days as he awaits the birth of his child.

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That has opened the door for Damone Clark to make an impact, and he's been making the most of his opportunities so far.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Clark, who has been a special teams ace for the Cowboys, has been making plays all over the field early in camp, knocking the ball loose. Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com named Clark as a player who has stood out.

"With all the talk about turnovers being forced by the Cowboys' defense, the linebacker unit has quietly held their own filling running lanes in the first four practices of camp," Yarrish wrote.

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"Namely, Damone Clark has popped up in the middle of plays a number of times, with his biggest play coming earlier in the week when he punched a ball free from Luke Schoonmaker. With Kenneth Murray missing practices for the birth of his child, Clark has taken advantage of his opportunities.

With DeMarvion Overshown expected to miss the first half of the season, the Cowboys need to find depth at the position. So, with Clark showing out early at camp, he's setting himself up for potentially seeing an increase in snaps on the defensive side of the ball.

Dallas Cowboys linebackers Damone Clark and Brock Mogensen block during training camp at the River Ridge Playing Fields | Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

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