Leave no stone unturned. When doing a recent 53-man roster prediction as the Dallas Cowboys move to Week 2 of 2024 training camp, one thing became clear. They don’t really have an in-house replacement for defensive end Sam Williams.
Williams was lost for the season after tearing his ACL and MCL last week, becoming the fifth Cowboys player in the las calendar year to suffer the knee injury. He was going to be an integral figure in the edge rush rotation, as defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer planned to move Micah Parsons around more than he had been the last two seasons. Now the role opposite DeMarcus Lawrence’s run-anchor DE spot is open and on Thursday the Cowboys will search for help filling it.
Second-round rookie Marshawn Kneeland is Lawrence’s heir apparent and doesn’t possess a similar skillset to Williams and Parsons, and there isn’t another player on the roster who appears ready for a role that substantial. Therefore Will McClay and the front office have gone about trying to find outside help, bringing in four players for workouts. It’s an interesting group of contenders.
The biggest name is Carl Lawson; one of eight edge rushers Cowboys Wire identified as leading candidates to be considered. Lawson was a fourth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017 and has spent the last three seasons with the New York Jets. He missed much of the season dealing with a back injury that had him in and out of the lineup through the first half of the season. In 2022 he had seven sacks.
Also part of the workout is Shaka Toney, who was banned from the NFL for the 2023 season due to gambling. The former Penn State Nittany Lion who teamed up with Parsons in college was a seventh-round pick of the Washington Commanders in 2021. He has 1.5 career sacks in his two years.
Al-Quadin Muhammad (2017 Saints pick, 12 career sacks) and Justin Hollins (2019 Broncos pick, 10.5 career sacks) will also attend the Oxnard, CA workout.
The Cowboys are bringing in four veteran pass-rushers on Thursday for a workout, including Carl Lawson, who has 27 career sacks. Other workouts are Shaka Toney, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Justin Hollins.
— Nick Eatman (@nickeatman) August 1, 2024