Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Green Bay Packers: Jerry Jones Explains Why the Dallas Cowboys Are Better with Kenny Clark than Micah Parsons

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Robin M Adams | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 2:45 PM ET

The Green Bay Packers have been the talk of the NFL for the past several days. Of course, this is because they sent two future first round draft picks (2026 and 2027) along with three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Micah Parsons.

Thursday’s trade shook the NFL world, and many are still trying to wrap their head around how and why the Cowboys allowed contract negotiations with Parsons to break down so badly that they had no choice but to trade him. Meanwhile, Packers fans are overjoyed to have one of the NFL’s best defensive players on their team, despite their sorrow that Clark had to be included in the deal.

But for his part, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is excited to have the three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle on his team.

Jerry Jones Says the Dallas Cowboys Are Better with Former Green Bay Packers DT Kenny Clark

Green Bay Packers 53-Man Roster Prediction as 2025 NFL Training Camp Kicks Off 3 Green Bay Packers nose tackle Kenny Clark (97) celebrates a sack on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) during the third quarter of the divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on January 22, 2022.

Over the course of the past few days, many of the trade’s detractors have tried to cope with the fact that Parsons is no longer on the Cowboys by pointing to his perceived weakness in run defense. Even Jones, Dallas’ owner and general manager, is hanging his hat on improving the Cowboys’ run defense with Clark as his main reason for doing the deal.

“Our player that we got is outstanding,” Jones said of Clark. “We knew that, and he’ll immediately start making plays for us here when we get up there against those Philadelphia Eagles.

“But the most important thing is we really wanted to stop the run. And Micah’s a wonderful football player, we think this gives us a better chance to stop the run. Other teams knew that, and they threw the ball out quick and they ran against us when we had Micah and they’re really emphasizing pass rush.”

The thing is, though, that according to PFF, Clark had a run defense grade of 57.1 while Parsons had one of 65.5. Of course, PFF grades are not everything, but these do indicate that the narrative that the new Packers linebacker is a poor run defender is simply not true.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: