Overview
Damone Clark is an American professional football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers.
 Clark with the LSU Tigers in 2019 | |||||||||||||
| No. 11 – Detroit Lions | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | June 28, 2000 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Southern University Laboratory (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) | ||||||||||||
| College | LSU (2018–2021) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2022 (5th round, 176th overall pick) | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||||
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Damone Clark (/dəˈmoʊn/ duh-MONE;[1] born June 28, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers.
Early life
Clark was born and lived in New Orleans until his family was displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, after which they moved to Baton Rouge.[2] He attended Southern University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge.[3] During his junior season, Clark recorded 48 tackles, five tackles for loss, and four sacks, and four interceptions.[4]
College career
Clark played in 12 games during his freshman season on special teams and as a reserve linebacker behind starter Devin White.[5] He played in all 15 of LSU's games with three starts as a sophomore and had 49 tackles and 3.5 sacks as the Tigers won the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship.[6] Clark was chosen to wear the No. 18 jersey by the Tigers' coaching staff going into his junior season.[7] He finished the season tied for the team lead with 63 tackles.[8]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) | 239 lb (108 kg) | 33 in (0.84 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 6 ft 6+1⁄2 in (1.99 m) | 4.57 s | 1.55 s | 2.63 s | 7.12 s | 36.5 in (0.93 m) | 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) | ||
| All values from NFL Combine[9][10] | ||||||||||||
Dallas Cowboys
Clark was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (176th overall) of the 2022 NFL draft.[11] On June 23, 2022, it was announced that Clark had undergone spinal fusion surgery in March and would miss part of the season.[12] He missed the first 7 games while being on Reserve/NFI. He was activated on October 5.[13] In Week 8 against the Chicago Bears, he had 6 tackles and one quarterback pressure. In Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings, he made his first career start and tallied 4 tackles. In Week 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had a career-high 11 tackles. He appeared in 10 games (5 starts), registering 50 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, one quarterback pressure and 3 special teams tackles.
In 2023, he started the season opener against the New York Giants, collecting 5 tackles and contributing to a 40-0 victory. In Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals, he led the team with 9 tackles. In Week 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had a career-high 11 tackles (one for loss). In Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills, he tied his career-high with 11 tackles, along with 2 quarterback pressures. In Week 16 against the Miami Dolphins, he had 9 tackles. He made his first career postseason start against the Green Bay Packers, leading the team with 10 tackles (one for loss), while adding one quarterback pressure. He finished with 17 starts, 115 tackles, 8 quarterback pressures, 3 passes defensed and 2 special teams tackles.
In 2024, the Cowboys hired defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, to replace Dan Quinn who left to become the head coach of the Washington Commanders. Clark's defensive snaps were reduced significantly, after losing playing time to Eric Kendricks, DeMarvion Overshown and Marist Liufau. In Week 6 against the Detroit Lions, he made his second start of the season, tallying 9 tackles (one for loss), a half sack and one pass break up. He appeared in 14 games (2 starts), posting 25 tackles (one for loss), a half sack, one pass breakup and 4 special teams tackles. He was declared inactive in 3 contests.
In 2025, the Cowboys hired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. He remained as a backup player, appearing in 8 games, while making 13 tackles. On November 18, 2025, Clark was waived by the Cowboys.[14] The return from injury of Overshown and the acquisition of Logan Wilson made him expendable in the eyes of Eberflus.
Houston Texans
On November 19, 2025, Clark was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans.[15] He appeared in 6 games while playing mostly on special teams and had 14 tackles.
Detroit Lions
On March 18, 2026, Clark signed a one-year, $1.402 million contract with the Detroit Lions.[16]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | TD | PD | ||
| 2022 | DAL | 10 | 5 | 47 | 29 | 18 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | DAL | 17 | 17 | 109 | 70 | 39 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2024 | DAL | 14 | 2 | 28 | 16 | 12 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025 | DAL | 8 | 2 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| HOU | 6 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career | 55 | 26 | 212 | 129 | 83 | 0.5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | TD | PD | ||
| 2022 | DAL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | DAL | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Career | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
References
- ↑ "2022 Dallas Cowboys Media Guide" (PDF). NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
- ↑ Dellenger, Ross (January 15, 2017). "A real pick-me-up: Southern Lab LB Damone Clark commits to LSU at midfield of Tiger Stadium". NOLA.com. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ↑ Weathers, William (December 20, 2017). "LSU lands strong-willed linebacker in Damone Clark from Southern Lab". The Advocate. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ↑ Scarborough, Mike (January 15, 2017). "Louisiana linebacker Damone Clark commits to LSU". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ↑ Miller, Brody (November 24, 2021). "From benched to Butkus: How LSU LB Damone Clark learned to trust himself and why those around him believed all along". The Athletic. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ↑ Miller, Brody (August 7, 2020). "The weight (and the will) Damone Clark carries into his potential breakout year". The Athletic. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ↑ Auzenne, Josh (September 18, 2020). "JaCoby Stevens set to wear No. 7; Curry and Clark will wear No. 18". WAFB9.com. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ↑ Mickles, Sheldon (September 30, 2021). "Veteran Damone Clark establishes his link in chain of LSU linebacker standouts". The Advocate. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ↑ Zierlein, Lance. "Damone Clark Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ↑ "2022 Draft Scout Damone Clark, LSU NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ↑ Phillips, Rob (April 30, 2022). "Clark, Ridgeway Highlight Four 5th-Round Picks". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ↑ Fisher, Mike (July 27, 2022). "Cowboys Camp: How 'Fate' – And Spine Surgery – Brought Rookie LB Damone Clark to Dallas". SI.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ↑ Levine, Ben (October 5, 2022). "Minor NFL Transactions: 10/5/22". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ↑ Walker, Patrik. "Damone Clark waived by Cowboys, Perrion Winfrey activated". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ↑ "Houston Texans Transactions (11-19-2025)". HoustonTexans.com. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
- ↑ "Lions sign unrestricted free agent LB Damone Clark". DetroitLions.com. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
External links
