Early look at the Cowboys training camp battles for 2023
By Randy Gurzi
4. Dante Fowler vs Sam Williams for DE3
It's been easy to shrug off Dante Fowler as a viable defensive end simply because he never lived up to his status as the third overall pick in 2015. After missing his rookie campaign with a knee injury, he wound up recording 12 sacks in his first two seasons. Then in year three, he had four more as he split his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Los Angeles Rams — who brought him in for a Super Bowl run.
Fowler had his best campaign while in L.A., recording 11.5 sacks in 2019. Since then, he's been a rotational player but excelled with Dan Quinn — recording 27 tackles and 6.0 sacks in 2021.
Dallas then re-signed Fowler this offseason, keeping him around for another season. He played in all 17 games last year without starting any games and should be the primary EDGE off the bench again in 2023. That is, unless Sam Williams can overtake him.
Cowboys rookie DE Sam Williams is still nowhere near his developmental ceiling, and that is what excites team most. His 14 defensive snaps in Sunday's win over Lions included his first two career NFL sacks with a body slam (no penalty) in between. pic.twitter.com/ilZevnzBAu
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 24, 2022
A second-round pick from Ole Miss last year, Williams, had 22 tackles and four sacks while playing in 15 games. He added 11 quarterback pressures and as already shown he can be a contributor in the NFL. The question now is whether or not he can overtake a veteran such as Fowler in the rotation.