Dallas Cowboys receive worst possible news about young defensive end

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams is feared to have torn his ACL during Sunday's training camp practice, multiple sources report.

Williams was carted off the field during special teams drills, and it was reported that he couldn't put any weight on his left leg on the way to the cart. As expected, he was "in a lot of pain."

Williams was going into his third year with the Cowboys. In his rookie year, he finished with 22 total tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and one pass defended. In 2023, he had 26 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.

Cowboys are counting on a big jump from Sam Williams

(Via Mauricio Rodriguez)

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.

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