$37.4M worth of leftovers? Or keys to Cowboys’ defensive turnaround?

The Dallas Cowboys took a different approach to roster building over the last two years. Instead of bargain hunting leftovers, or gambling on busts, they acted more calculated, hunting the under-appreciated. From George Pickens and Javonte Williams to Jonathan Bullard and Otito Ogbonnia , the Cowboys have been searching for specific types of players who they think will thrive in Dallas.

They say, "one man's trash is another man's treasure," and that especially rings true for a pair of former Green Bay Packers . Rashan Gary , OLB, and Kenny Clark , DT, are two players the Cowboys picked up from the Packers via trades over the last 13 months.

Clark, a former Pro Bowl tackle, was included in the Micah Parsons trade last summer. He was a piece the Cowboys insisted upon and a player who makes the defensive system work. Green Bay fans and media were quick to discredit the player, citing his decline in play and his tenuousness on the future roster.

Gary, picked up roughly six months later, was another player who had fallen out of favor in Green Bay. But instead of being called a "has been" he was dubbed a "never was" by the Packer faithful. As a former first-round pick, Gary never quite lit the world on fire like he was supposed to, so he was said to be another player who was likely to be cut.

The Cowboys clearly see both players differently. Not only are both starters for the Cowboys in 2026, but Clark has been voted team captain as an anchor of the defense. Dallas doesn't expect either player to suddenly vault up to Pro Bowl levels, but they do consider each to be valuable up-cycles.

Clark, working on a contract that averages $21,333,333 in APY, and Gary, working on a $16M APY deal, aren't cheap players, which might explain some of the saltiness from the people who consider cheese a major food group and a blaze-orange vest proper church attire. But in Dallas, their contracts carry much more palatable cap hits this season, combining for $15,200,000 in 2026.

Clark and Gary have contracts that will cost Dallas beyond the 2026 season whether they return next year or not. That makes them players who are critical to the present and future of the team. The question that remains is whether the Cowboys can get more out of them than the Packers thought they were capable, or if they made a mistake trading for expensive castoffs Green Bay was already done with.

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