Cowboys

New Cowboys DT Kenny Clark was a first-round pick back in 2016 and spent the following nine years in Green Bay, including two major contract extensions. He still had multiple years left on his current deal when the Packers’ mainstay was a key piece of the shocking blockbuster deal for DE Micah Parsons. Clark acknowledged he had some initial whiplas,h but it didn’t take long to get on board with the program in Dallas. 

“I was shocked, but once Jerry and all those guys called me, Schotty and everybody, I just felt wanted. It’s a blessing, I’m appreciative of it.” Clark said via the team website.

“It’s a historic franchise, I wouldn’t want no other thing other than to be sitting here,” Clark added. “I’ve got a chance to win a Super Bowl here and that’s all I could ask for. That’s what I want to do, I want to bring a Super Bowl back to the Cowboys.”

Packers fans know exactly the kind of commodity Clark is as an NFL player, but he shared a little bit about himself for his new fanbase. 

“No nonsense, you’re going to get a dawg, somebody that’s just all about football,” Clark said. “I’m here to ball. I’m here to be my best self. I feel like when I’m my best self, there’s nobody messing with me. That’s what I bring to the table, I’m here to play my ass off.”

Cowboys

New Cowboys DT Kenny Clark was a mainstay in Green Bay for nearly a full decade, but the Packers were willing to include him in the deal for DE Micah Parsons in part because he’s about to turn 30 this fall, and statistically, his production dropped off in 2024. Clark would take umbrage at the notion he’s a declining player, however, pointing out he played all last year with bone spurs and is healthy now. 

“I was playing through bone spurs last year, hurt it in the [Week 1] Brazil game,” he said via NFL Media’s Jane Slater. “All that stuff is behind me and I’m excited to hit the ground running. I’ve got a lot to prove this year and I’m excited to prove that.”

Giants

One of the stars of training camp around the league was the Giants’ first-round OLB Abdul Carter, who was the subject of a constant stream of reports about how he couldn’t be blocked or how he’d be wrecking practice for the offense. Carter wouldn’t have been drafted third overall if the Giants didn’t think he’d be good, but being potentially this good from the jump is a pleasant surprise for any rookie. 

Not for Carter, though. 

“My whole life, I’ve been preparing to be in this league, just preparing to dominate,” Carter said via the Athletic’s Charlotte Carroll. 

Carter’s supreme confidence was a double-edged sword to start his time in New York, as he caught some flak for floating the idea of taking Hall of Fame OLB Lawrence Taylor‘s No. 56, which was retired by the organization. But his position coach in college said Carter didn’t mean any disrespect. 

“That’s what he believes in. He’s doing it for the utmost respect,” Penn State DL coach Deion Barnes said. “He’s respectful of the legends. He just feels like he’s setting a goal. … (People shouldn’t be) offended because he’s trying to set his goal that high to be remembered forever.”

“He talked about gravitating towards positive plays, positive thoughts and just (the) belief that there’s nothing he can’t do,” Bullen added. “He (believes he) can do everything. He can win every matchup. He can effectively produce on every play. It is supremely ingrained into who he is.”