When Cowboys third-year defensive end Sam Williams fell to a season-ending knee injury in camp this week, it opened the door for others down the depth chart. This “next man up” mentality isn’t unique to the Cowboys, it’s an inherent sentiment held in all competitive sports.
For young aspiring talents down the depth chart, an injury such as this can provide ample opportunity to increase snaps and showcase skills. Players such as Chauncey Golston, Junior Fehoko and Marshawn Kneeland should all see an increase in opportunity as a result of the injury.
The rookie Kneeland may stand to benefit the most of the three. Drafted in the second round, Kneeland is the most pedigreed of the three reserves. The 6-foot-3, 263-pound edge from Western Michigan has NFL-ready strength and work ethic. In training camp he’s shown he’s everything he was billed to be by scouts and displays all the characteristics of a starting caliber base-end in the NFL one day.
One day.
Some will say, with great opportunity comes great expectations, but expectations need to be reasonable for rookies and just because an opportunity opens, doesn’t mean the rookie fits it.
It would be nice if Kneeland could seamlessly slide right into that role this unfortunate injury opened, but Kneeland is a considerably different player than Williams. Both players are certified bulldogs but that’s probably where the similarities end.
Respected scout and Cowboys Nation’s favorite draft personality, Dane Brugler, described the two quite differently. He described Williams as “a quarterback hunter” and exciting “pass rush prospect.” Kneeland, he describes as “a starting base” and someone who’s “still taking classes in the art of the pass rush.”
Based on Brugler’s descriptions, the two edge players play opposite sides of the line. Not that left side and right side mean as much as they used to, but the sides still matter to some degree. The right side is typically the explosive side, while the left, or base, is the more physical side. Williams served the explosive role while Kneeland projects at the physical role. This is where the fit becomes less clean.
Kneeland is an edge player who can take on extra responsibility as a run stuffer and two-gapper. He can play the screen, maintain his run fits and still apply a certain degree of pressure. In other words, he’s a lot like DeMarcus Lawrence.
Williams has been an edge player who’s best in space. He has had speed and explosiveness off the snap, and what he has lacked in bend, he has made up for in strength. Williams is the type of player who projects as a 10-sack edge someday. He may never garner a positive run-stopping grade but he’s a legit pressure player off the edge.
Kneeland is a player who’s realistically capped in 5-to-7 annual sack range. He’s an every-down player who thrives in his discipline and versatility, much like Lawrence. Kneeland’s biggest impact, in matters of pass rush, come in clean-up situations and stunts.
One guy will shine in the infamous pass rush win rate (PRWR) stat and the other will barely register on the scale. It’s not that one is better than the other, it’s that they play different roles.
As a matter of fact, Kneeland was graded by Brugler as DE5 (1-2 round grade) with Williams as DE17 with a late third-round grade, in their respective drafts. If anyone projects with a better future, it’s Kneeland. It’s just no one should think Kneeland can seamlessly fill Williams’ shoes because Williams filled a somewhat glamorous pass rusher role.
Where do we go from here: The Cowboys could flip Lawrence over to the right side and ask him to be the right edge he used to be as a younger player. It’s also possible the Cowboys could turn up their noses at this super convincing article and ask Kneeland to change from apple to orange as a prospect. The smarter move may be to explore options elsewhere or to consider all of the above and keep the situations fluid.
Whatever the decision, no one should change their expectations for Kneeland just because Williams’ injury opened a door. Because improved opportunity shouldn’t mean raised expectations for Cowboys rookie.
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