Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams is feared to have torn his ACL during special teams drills in the fourth day of training camp practices. The news, yet to be confirmed by an MRI, would end his season and leave the team in a worrying spot.
Despite Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence leading the way, the Cowboys are lacking depth at the position beyond rookie Marshawn Kneeland, whose development now becomes even more important ahead of the 2024 NFL season.
The Cowboys have no experienced options on their depth chart beyond the starters so naturally, it's time to look at free agent targets. Below are my top three available options.
1. Carl Lawson
A to Z Sports' Lawson contract projection : 1 year, $3M, $3M APY, $1M GTD
The Cowboys are no strangers to making some low-risk, high-reward moves when it comes to bargain hunting for players that have dealt with injury issues in the past. Lawson, who tore his Achilles in 2021, is a perfect example.
Lawson didn't register a high snap count in 2023, but that had a lot to do with a loaded edge rusher room in the New York Jets. In 2022, Lawson racked up seven sacks and nine tackle for losses to go with 24 QB hits, per Pro Football Reference.
Among the targets listed here, the 29-year-old would be my top target for the Cowboys.
2. Yannick Ngakoue
A to Z Sports' Ngakoue contract projection: 1 year, $4 million, $4.0M APY, $4M GTD
2023 didn't go quite Ngakoue way, whose season ended in Week 14 with a broken ankle, which might really impact his stock ahead of the upcoming season. But in 2022 and 2021, he proved he can still produce sacks with 9.5 and 10 respectively.
Ngakoue might not be worth a costly deal at this stage of his career but ¡a cheap, one-year deal for rotational snaps could land the Cowboys a significant contributor in times of need, not to mention, 123 NFL games of experience.
3. Frank Clark
Clark might be more of a name these days, but he's an experienced veteran that could come in as an insurance policy for the Cowboys. A former three-time Pro Bowler, Clark saw limited playing time in two teams in 2023 but had five sacks with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022 after Pro Bowl honors as recently as 2021.
This perhaps would be the least attractive option on the list but it likely wouldn't take much to get Clark to Dallas.
Whoever the Cowboys end up bringing onboard, it's clear the best path forward at DE3 might be already on the roster as second-round rookie Marshawn Kneeland has already been turning heads in practice and is considered one of the biggest steals of last April's draft.
Related: Cowboys take best player available route by taking Marshawn Kneeland with 56th pick in 2024 NFL Draft
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