OXNARD, Calif. — In the first week of training camp, the Dallas Cowboys got dealt a big blow in the form of Sam Williams tearing his left ACL and MCL after a non-contact injury in special teams drills on Sunday afternoon. It's a significant blow to Williams who was set to take on a larger defensive role this season with the departures of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr., but he will instead watch from the sidelines in 2024.
For the Cowboys, it immediately puts a stress on the defensive end position group with less proven talent now needed to step into a larger role. Williams was the heir apparent in the room following a free agency window that opened the door wide open for more snaps and a higher potential for production for the third-year man out of Ole Miss, but now that responsibility will fall on the hands of guys like rookie Marshawn Kneeland, second-year guys Viliami Fehoko Jr. ('23 fourth-round pick), Durrell Johnson ('23 UDFA) and Tyrus Wheat ('23 UDFA).
Those guys will certainly have their shot – and it will come as early as Tuesday when the pads come on – but how long that shot lasts will be closely followed.
Veteran free agents are still available on the street. Carl Lawson is awaiting his next move and is very aware of the Cowboys' situation in the wake of Williams' injury as he simply posted the star emoji on social media on Sunday which drew the interest and intrigue from Cowboys fans in his replies on X. The largely productive Yannick Ngakoue has played for six teams since 2019, but his presence as a physical pass-rusher that can power through the edge with veteran experience could be exactly what Dallas needs.
Which leads into the question, with Williams now out of the picture this season, do the Cowboys put all of their chips into a physical edge group with DeMarcus Lawrence and Marshawn Kneeland that will out-tough you with the caveat of the athletic specimen that is Micah Parsons? Or do they try to pair a similarly athletic pass rusher as to what Williams brought to the field to give Parsons a running mate?
Those will have to be the questions answered if the guys already in the building do not turn out to be the answers themselves. The edge position is only growing more important with each season that passes, and Dallas could ill afford to isolate Parsons in a group that will need to help take the load off of him at times during games.
All of a sudden, this preseason looms large for the edge group. Some in the front office may be thanking higher powers that they brought in a second-round pick at the position this offseason, but will it be enough to compensate for what is vacated by what could have been a breakout campaign for Sam Williams?
Stay tuned to find out.
