Cowboys defense suffers major blow during Sunday training camp practice as cart comes out (Update: Feared ACL injury)

UPDATE: Since the publishing of this story, Sam Williams is feared to have torn his ACL and will have MRI to confirm, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

The Dallas Cowboys defense suffered a major blow on Sunday's training camp practice as DE Sam Williams had to be carted off the field during special teams drills.

According to ESPN's Todd Archer , Williams didn't put any weight on his left leg on his way to the cart. The Athletic's Jon Machota added Williams was "in a lot of pain."

Nick Harris from DallasCowboys.com reported that someone near the injury live described it as "not good."

Cowboys are counting on a big jump from Sam Williams

While the Cowboys await an update around their third-year defensive end, it's important to point out how important he is to the team's defensive plan going into 2024. The team allowed Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr. to walk in free agency in large part because of Williams' potential jump.

In both of his first two years in the league, Williams has had high production on limited playing time. Off the field issues and penalty tendencies kept him from earning a bigger role before.

If Williams' injury turns out to be serious, the Cowboys will have to be worried about their depth at edge rusher behind Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. Second-round rookie Marshawn Kneeland is off to a hot start in Oxnard, California, but beyond him, there is virtually no experience nor upside to bank on.

We'll update this story with more information as it becomes available.