Cowboys give out big contract to potential defensive star

Billy Heyen

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Cowboys give out big contract to potential defensive star image

The Dallas Cowboys weren't messing around after the NFL Draft.

Always able to benefit from defensive improvements, Jerry Jones and company handed out one of the most expensive undrafted free agent deals.

They gave a reported $259K to Alijah Clark, a defensive back from Syracuse. It's one of the top-10 UDFA deals handed out, according to reporter Aaron Wilson.

Clark was in legitimate contention to be drafted, having been invited to the NFL Combine and having run a 4.50-second 40-yard dash there.

He spent his first college season at Rutgers before three years at Syracuse.

He had between 56 and 66 tackles in each of his three seasons with the Orange.

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In 2024, he had 61 tackles (3 TFL) and an interception along with four passes defensed.

He'll get a real chance to compete for a backup job in Dallas during training camp.

Of course, this isn't the defensive contract Cowboys fans are hoping to see given out.

Micah Parsons is awaiting a massive extension that feels like a matter of when it comes, not if.

But in the meantime, Clark is a solid under-the-radar pickup that the Cowboys can bring on board to try and see if they found a draft sleeper. It's worth a shot, for sure.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle