Cowboys' Sam Williams replacement feels painfully obvious after cryptic tweet

The Dallas Cowboys received devastating injury news less than a week into training camp as pass rusher Sam Williams suffered a torn ACL and a partially torn ACL in Sunday's practice and will miss the entire 2024 season.

It is absolutely gutting for Williams, who was primed for a prominent role along the defensive line following the departures of vets Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr. A second-round pick in 2022, Williams was widely considered the biggest X-factor on Mike Zimmer's defense this season.

With 8.5 sacks, 45 pressures, 16QB hits and a 73.8 pass-rush grade in limited playing time over two seasons there was widespread hope that Williams would breakout in year three. It all adds more heartbreak to the injury.

While fans' hearts break for Williams, the team must move on and its already-thin defensive end depth behind Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence is virtually non-existent. The Cowboys have to make a move in the coming days, and a simple reading of the tea leaves on social media suggests they already have someone in mind.

Free agent DE Carl Lawson teases Cowboys move after Sam Williams ACL injury

Not long after an MRI confirmed Williams' ACL tear, free-agent pass rusher Carl Lawson energized Cowboys fans by posting a star emoji to social media. It obviously doesn't confirm anything, but if a player was to foreshadow a move to Dallas, wouldn't this be the way to do it?

If the Cowboys are about to sign Lawson, it would be an excellent response to Williams' injury. A former first-round pick in 2017, Lawson is arguably the top EDGE on the market. Not only that, but Lawson would reunite with former defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, who was hired as Dallas' defensive run-game coordinator under Mike Zimmer.

Guenther oversaw Lawson's breakout rookie year when he amassed 8.5 sacks, 21 QB hits and 59 pressures for the Bengals. Injuries have derailed his once-promising trajectory, but Lawson bounced back admirably from a torn Achilles suffered in 2021 with 49 pressures, eight sacks and a 72.8 pass-rush grade in 2022 with the Jets.

Despite the strong bounce-back, Lawson was buried on the Jets' loaded defensive line last season following the emergence of young pass rushers Jermaine Johnson, Bryce Huff and first-round pick Will McDonald. It was a tough pill to swallow for Lawson, but he is still a very productive player off the edge

Without Williams, the Cowboys will now ask a lot of second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland, who's stood out in the early stages of camp. Lawson would take a lot of pressure off the rookie's shoulders. The injury concerns with the 29-year-old are apparent, but he's fully healthy and motivated to prove he can rediscover his 2022 form.

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