The Dallas Cowboys thought they were solving their run defense problem with last summer's addition of Kenny Clark. Its why they insisted on including him in the trade that sent away Micah Parsons, and its why they chose to restructure and retain him this year, despite his lackluster performance in Year 1 in Dallas.Here in the Christian Parker era, faith in Clarks ability continues. When Dallas sent Osa Odighizuwa off in a trade this offseason, Parker essentially hitched his wagon to the 30-year-old war horse. Together with Quinnen Williams, the Cowboys will boast one of the better defensive tackle duos in the NFL. Theyll also have one of the costliest.Even with a restructured contract that sends a significant chunk of change into the void years, Clark is going to cost the Cowboys over $12 million in cap space this season. Thats a lot of money in any capacity, but its especially costly if asked to play a role that underutilizes certain skills.Will the Cowboys steal from Peter to pay Paul?How Parker deploys certain players in his defense has been a topic of conversation throughout the offseason. We know itll be a 3-4 base with some 4-3 concepts. We know itll be a nickel-heavy look with gratuitous use of the safety position. We expect big guys will play gap-and-a-half while the edge players provide most of pass-rush. We dont know to what extent any of this will happen, how the rotations will be built, or specifically what Clark will be doing on any given play.Clark, 6-foot-3, 314 pounds, has the proven ability to play anywhere on the defensive line. Hes been at the nose, 1-tech, 3-tech, 4i and 5-tech throughout his career. The further he moves outside the more hes freed up to use his natural playmaking ability. The further he moves inside the less those traits matter. Hence the $12.7M conundrum for Dallas.Expensive space fillerAt such a premium price (remember, those deferred dollars mean hes considerably more than his 2026 salary indicates), asking him to play 0 or 1 tech is a hefty price to pay at one of the blue-collarist positions in the game. Players with Clarks speed and quickness are rarely asked to be the trashcan full of dirt in the middle.Once upon a time, Clark could have been regarded as the best nose tackle in football. His ability to penetrate the backfield and move laterally in run support was as evident as his ability to post up and occupy space. But around 2024, those abilities began to fade, and Clark has since struggled to do it all like he once did.Unless the 10-year veteran suddenly finds the fountain of youth under Parker, his best days are probably behind him, and the Cowboys will have to pick their poison. If the Cowboys pick nose tackle, it means Clark could very well be the NFLs most expensive one-dimensional run stopper. If they chose a 4i or 5 tech defensive end, theyd be prioritizing his playmaking ability.Are alternatives even viable?Fellow defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia has been making his case on the Cowboys defensive line but not at the nose tackle spot. Despite having more weight than Williams or Clark, he mentioned in an interview with Blogging the Boys 4i for me plays really well into my skillset. He also provided insight into where Clark might fit best:Yeah, with how this defense is built, we have Kenny (Clark) who has a lot of experience at nose, obviously Quinnen (Williams) is a game wrecker at 3-technique. Kennys been one of the best true nose tackles for a long time. I think going back to that true nose, true shade position, I think thats where he actually feels the most comfortable.What Ogbonnia seems to be lobbying for is for Clark to play the middle in a 3-4, with Ogbonnia and Williams flanking him outside. Its not a surprising plea since nose tackle can be as brutal as it is thankless. Playing 4i and 5 at least open up the opportunity for plays, which would behoove Ogbonnia because his career stat sheet is extremely sparse and he becomes a free agent after the 2026 season.Clark is still a playmakerWhile Clark might have slipped overall, hes still a darn good football player. He can pursue in space, meaning he can chase plays outside. Hes also effective against the double team. Based on Next Gen Stats, Clark saw double-teams on 47.8% of his plays last season. His tackle rate dropped to a career low but as Nick Eatman pointed out recently at DallasCowboys.com, he still finished third on the team in pressures.It stands to reason, shifting to a 3-4 in 2026 and asking him to play nose tackle would give rise to that double team rate and steal valuable opportunities to pressure the backfield. The conundrumTheres little question Clark has the ability to play the nose tackle effectively or even that Clark can do so better than someone like Jay Toia or Ogbonnia, but at what cost? Its not just that Clark costs over $10M more than the other two, its that his ability to be a playmaker in space may not be able to be replaced.In 4-3 looks like nickel, its likely to be heavy usage of Clark at 1-tech, Williams at 3-tech and then some combination of Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku outside at defensive end. Thats an ideal setup. But3-4 looks arent so predictable. Ogbonnia wants Clark inside because that gives him a chance to play 4i or 5 tech, but Ogbonnia cant do what Clark can do outside; or at least we havent seen it yet.Clark presents the Cowboys a conundrum because its not clear what positions provide his maximum returns. Its also unclear what other players like Ogbonnia or LT Overton can do in roles like 4i and 5 tech. Training camp is going to shed a lot of light on the subject and hopefully solve the conundrum facing the franchise.You can follow Reid on X@ReidDHansonand be sure to followCowboys Wire on Facebookto join in on the conversation with fellow fans!This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Christian Parker, Kenny Clark and the Cowboys $12.7M conundrum