EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — ESPN analyst Harry Douglas said Friday that physicality is the first thing he expects from the Dallas Cowboys defense when it opens the season at the New York Giants on Sept. 13, and he named the interior pairing of Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark as the reason.
Douglas made the comments during an ESPN preview of the Sunday night opener that also featured NFL insider Dan Graziano and former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC and Peacock.
On the Dallas side, Douglas is watching how Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker calls the game. On the New York side, his read on Giants coach John Harbaugh starts with fullback Patrick Ricard and rookie guard Francis Mauigoa.
“Number one, physicality,” Douglas said. “You have a guy in Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark on the inside, on the interior, that’s going to help out your defense tremendously. But I’m excited about defensive coordinator Christian Parker and how he’s going to call this football game.”
“What I do know about the New York football Giants, because of their head coach John Harbaugh and some of the guys that they brought in, you go look at H-back, fullback Patrick Ricard,” Douglas continued. “Their first-round draft pick was Francis Mauigoa. They want to bring the physicality to the line of scrimmage once again. So in the trenches is where I’m really going to be looking at when it comes to this matchup.”
Quinnen Williams And Kenny Clark Get A Full Offseason Together
Clark came to Dallas from the Green Bay Packers in an August 2025 trade, a week before the season began. Williams followed at the Nov. 4 deadline, when Dallas sent the New York Jets a package that included a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick.
The two played seven games together in 2025. In his 7 games with Dallas, Williams had 21 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 1 interception. Clark finished the season with 3 sacks in 17 games.
On Aug. 10, Williams signed a three-year, $105.9 million extension that runs through 2030 and carries $101 million in guarantees. Clark is entering his 11th season and his second in Dallas. In Oxnard, Clark said he had never played with a defensive tackle like Williams in his career.
Dallas allowed more points than any team in the NFL in 2025 and replaced defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus with Parker, who coached defensive backs for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Sept. 13 opener will be the first regular-season look at his defense. Last week, Williams described the change in the unit as night and day.
Giants Built The Front Around John Harbaugh
Ricard signed with New York on March 10 after nine seasons in Baltimore, all of them under Harbaugh. He has six Pro Bowl selections and was a first-team All-Pro in 2024.
Mauigoa was the No. 10 overall pick in April, taken with the selection the Giants acquired from the Cincinnati Bengals in an April trade. He played right tackle at Miami and has been moved to right guard in New York.
The Giants list Cam Skattebo as their starting running back for the opener. He ran for 410 yards and 5 touchdowns in 8 games as a rookie before a dislocated right ankle ended his season on Oct. 26 at Philadelphia.
New York beat Dallas 34-17 in the Week 18 finale at MetLife Stadium, snapping a nine-game losing streak against the Cowboys. Dallas had won the first meeting 40-37 in overtime in Week 2 at AT&T Stadium.
The Cowboys have won 11 of their 12 season openers against the Giants, and Sept. 13 will be the 13th time the two teams have opened a season against each other. Dallas leads the all-time series 78-48-2.
