Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark, left, rushes against the New York Giants on Sept. 14 in Arlington, Texas. (AP file photo)

FRISCO, Texas — Kenny Clark’s reunion with the Green Bay Packers is barely a blip compared to Micah Parsons’ return to face the Dallas Cowboys a month after the defensive linemen were traded for each other.

Clark was a steady run-stopper in Green Bay for nine seasons — more than twice as long as the flashy pass-rushing Parsons chased down quarterbacks with the Cowboys.

The emotional investment was immense for a man drafted by the Packers late in the first round nine years ago, and his family’s reaction to the trade reflected it. Dallas also acquired two first-round picks in the deal.

“They took it a lot harder than I did,” Clark said in a conference call with Green Bay reporters Thursday. “I just had to explain to them, everybody at some point gets this call, whether it’s you’re getting cut, you’re getting traded or whatever the case may be.”

With the Packers (2-1) set to visit Dallas (1-2) on Sunday night, the Clark family has come to accept the trade. The move into a new house is just about complete, while Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and company made a positive impression on Clark’s crew.

Now it’s time for Clark to line up against a team he went to the Pro Bowl with three times, along with six trips to the playoffs.

It’s been so long, the Green Bay coach when Clark was drafted — Mike McCarthy — was out of the league for a season and a half after getting fired by the Packers, then spent five years as coach of the Cowboys before the stunning deal that brought Clark down south as well.

“I know it’ll be weird,” said Clark, who turns 30 next week. “You’re going to see them yellow helmets and, ‘Damn, I was just over there,’ you know what I’m saying? Seeing all the guys in warmups and all that kind of stuff is going to be weird, but once that whistle blows and you get your hands on the first guy, whoever you hit first, all that kind of stuff, you run to that ball, it’s going to be football.”

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AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee contributed to this report.

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