FRISCO, Texas – A big piece of the Cowboys' 2018 draft class is out the door.
Having seen his rookie contract expire, veteran guard Connor Williams is off to Miami, where the Dolphins are reportedly signing him to a two-year deal worth $14 million.
Williams often drew criticism during his four years in Dallas – especially in 2021, when he was penalized 15 times on the season, with 13 of those being holding penalties.
Even still, Williams played in 60 of 68 possible games during his four years with the Cowboys, with 57 of those being starts. Most impressive of those accomplishments, he recovered from a torn ACL suffered on Thanksgiving Day 2019 in time to start all 16 games of the 2020 season.
Originally an All-American left tackle at Texas, the Cowboys targeted Williams with the No. 50 overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The Dallas-Fort Worth area native made the transition to guard, where he started from Day 1 in between Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick.
Losing Williams to free agency only highlights the Cowboys' need on the interior offensive line. The duo of Williams and Connor McGovern handled the left guard role throughout last season, with mixed results coming from both players. With Williams gone, McGovern becomes the logical option to start in that role – though it's also logical to think that left guard becomes one of this team's biggest draft needs.
For the time being, it's just another reminder of the ever-changing nature of the NFL, as the Cowboys cope with the potential departure of several other members of their 2018 draft class.
