What happened to Sam Williams? Cowboys DE carted off the field after getting injured in training camp

Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams suffered a scary injury during training camp, which could put the future of his participation for the 2024 season in jeopardy. He reportedly injured his knee during a block drill. Those who saw it reported it being a nasty incident and there was bad news for Dallas fans as he needed to be carted off the field.

UPDATE

It was reported on Sunday evening that Sam Williams had tore both his ACL and MCL. An MRI scan confirmed his injury. The Cowboys DE will now be missing the entire 2024 NFL season.

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Could Sam Williams' injury shake up Cowboys' depth chart?

While it is indeed tragic that Sam Williams was injured, it might open up space for some of the youngsters to come in and prove their worth. A good example of this from the Cowboys last year was when Trevon Diggs went down injured for the rest of the season and DaRon Bland stepped up opposite Stephon Gilmore. Now with Diggs back, Bland is expected to partner him on the other side, with Gilmore being allowed to leave in free agency.

Similarly, there could be an opportunity this year again. This time it is not in the secondary but rather in the pass-rush unit. DeMarcus Lawrence would have been the presumed starter ahead of Sam Williams anyway but someone like Marshawn Kneeland can enter rotation there.

The Western Michigan college star was selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He is now likely to get more snaps as a rookie and he will need to prove his worth. Other players who will also have an eye on that spot would be Tyrus Wheat, Durrell Johnson, and Viliami Fehoko Jr. There is expected to be fierce competition for places, as is the case with any NFL training camp.

It will not be easy though. Sam Williams has been a steady player for the Cowboys during the last two seasons. He played 15 games in 2022 and recorded 22 tackles. He kept up a similar rate of production in 2023 with 17 tackles in 11 games. He also contributed four sacks in each season.

These kinds of contributions are invaluable to a team who have designs to make the playoffs again this year. Sam Williams may yet receive some good news that the knee injury is potentially not as serious as feared and feature for the Cowboys during the season.

But if that is not the case, as looks likely, others will have to step up in his absence. Between now and the beginning of the season, new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer will have a lot on his plate to figure out.