Tag: Connor Williams

Cowboys News: Prescott pops, COVID updates, IR loss, that ‘Hard Knocks’ drone shot

Dak Prescott got rave reviews at practice while the Cowboys add players to (and get one back from) the COVID list, plus Rico Dowdle’s loss. | From @StarConscience, @Cdburnett7, and @ToddBrock24f7

In the final week of preseason football, the Dallas Cowboys have a lot to figure out. A multitude of players and coaches are currently in COVID protocol, limiting their preparation for Week 1 and raising questions about when they’ll each be back. Running back Rico Dowdle has also been lost, but his absence will be felt for longer after being placed on season-ending IR.

The Cowboys won’t have to wait much longer to unleash Dak Prescott, though; the starting quarterback rejoined team drills on Wednesday to rave reviews. Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones spoke highly of backup Cooper Rush, though, saying the offense would be efficient if he had to be the starter during the regular season. Jones also made headlines of a different sort with one NFL agent who had some harsh words for the Dallas boss.

In the player countdown to the regular season, there are four new entries with the profiles on linebackers Leighton Vander Esch and Luke Gifford, defensive end Bradlee Anae, and left guard Connor Williams.

And the story behind that epic Hard Knocks drone shot is as crazy as the three-minutes of footage that opened this week’s episode. This is Wednesday’s Cowboys News and Notes.

Connor McGovern lurches in the background of Cowboys’ offensive line ideas

Connor McGovern has gained experience with injuries on the offensive line and now he sees himself with a chance to garner real playing time. The question is, at who’s expense? | From @CDBurnett7

The backup role became very important for the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive line in 2020. With the trio of Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, and La’el Collins all suffering injuries, players such as offensive guard Connor McGovern had to step up in their place.

McGovern was undoubtedly disappointed with not winning a starting job out of training camp, but what was once going to be a sophomore season playing behind multiple Pro Bowlers eventually realized the Penn State products dream. The Cowboys selected McGovern in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft and after missing the 2019 season due to a torn pectoral muscle, he became an eight-game starter in 2020.

During the season, McGovern gained valuable experience that has to have instilled some confidence in him for offensive line coach Joe Philbin and head coach Mike McCarthy. As the two shuffle pieces around during training camp and the start of the preseason, McGovern is keeping himself in the running for a key role in 2021.

Our player profile countdown series continues with No. 66 Connor McGovern.

Cowboys ignore coach’s warnings, get chippy in practice with Rams

Connor Williams and Aaron Donald got into it two plays into the team period on Saturday in a joint practice that had tempers flaring. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy did a lot of pooh-poohing in advance, making it clear he wasn’t interested in his players engaging in “extracurricular activity” with the Rams during their joint practice on Saturday. “A waste of time,” he called it then.

Well, the two teams certainly wasted no time in getting chippy with one another in Oxnard.

Cowboys offensive lineman Connor Williams got into a scuffle with the Rams’ six-time All-Pro Aaron Donald on just the second play of team period play.

As the Dallas offense worked from deep in its own territory, Williams and Donald locked up and went to the ground, bringing both squads out to the middle of the field in a hurry.

The situation was defused quickly, but a combative tone lingered for much of the two-hour session. Running back Tony Pollard was seen taking a swing at Rams defender Kenny Young after Young appeared to punch at the ball after forcing Pollard out of bounds. It took several players as well as Rams coach Sean McVay to prevent a fight.

But that doesn’t mean the two coaching staffs stayed out of things completely. Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn did some jawing after a play he thought went beyond the “professional thud” level of physicality McCarthy had outlined previously.

But the practice ended up being a success in the eyes of the Cowboys coach, despite the fisticuffs.

“That’s part of it, but overall I thought the work was very good,” he said as per the team website. “I think you clearly see what we were able to accomplish with the Hall of Fame Game and then coming here 48 hours later. This will be great tape for us. I like where we are in the training camp process.”

Well enough that he’s scrapped Tuesday’s planned practice session, replacing it instead with a less demanding walkthrough for Friday’s game versus Arizona.

Fans who did not get to see the joint session with Los Angeles will want to catch the second episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks: The Dallas Cowboys. August 17th’s episode will feature footage of the Cowboys-Rams intersquad practice.

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Connor Williams getting practice time at center for the Cowboys

According to those in Oxnard, CA watching Cowboys training camp, former Texas offensive linemen Connor Williams has been getting snaps as the backup center.

Outside of Dak Prescott’s injury, nothing may have hampered the Dallas Cowboys’ 2020 season more than the offensive line play. A plethora of injuries and inconsistencies derailed a group Jerry Jones has put 17.2% of his cap space into.

With Joe Looney leaving the franchise via free agency, center has become a position of question for the Cowboys. Tyler Biadasz is in line to become the full-time starter but without any protection behind him.

According to those in Oxnard, CA watching Cowboys training camp, former Texas offensive linemen Connor Williams has been getting snaps as the backup center. He already slots in as the starting left guard but if Biadasz goes down with an injury, Williams will need to be prepared.

Playing center is something new to Williams and after talking to the media on Sunday, he knows he needs to be ready in case called upon.

“Y’all all know how the O-Line game goes. Guy goes down every now and then, and you never make it through a whole season healthy,” Williams said after Sunday’s practice. “It’s definitely nice to be able to move pieces in and out and have versatility. Hopefully, I never have to play center this year, but I may have to.”

After spending time at left tackle in Austin, Williams immediately transitioned to left guard when drafted by Dallas. He played 100% of the offensive snaps last season, trying his best to protect whoever was lined up at quarterback.

Cowboys News: Randy Gregory ‘unstoppable” in camp, Dalton Schultz impresses

The Cowboys offense says of Gregory, “We can’t stop him;” Dalton Schultz, Ben DiNucci, and Maurice Canady are among other camp notables. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Several Cowboys players aren’t waiting around to make moves. Tight end Dalton Schultz may be pressing to keep the starting job as Blake Jarwin continues to work his way back from an ACL injury, and Randy Gregory appears to be putting on a clinic at defensive end, prompting a former player and coach to predict an All-Pro campaign for the veteran still on the comeback trail. Maurice Canady is finally getting his Cowboys career started after opting out of 2020, Ben DiNucci is gunning for the primary backup quarterback job, Connor Williams is taking snaps at center, and a new cornerback has been welcomed into the fold.

Plenty more tidbits from camp to start a new week, too. Fans in Oxnard hoping to catch a glimpse of Amari Cooper and DeMarcus Lawrence may have to wait, Troy Aikman stopped by practice to share his expectations for the 2021 offense, Noah Brown and Sean McKeon get the player-profile treatment, slick grass during morning practices may become an issue, and Dan Quinn could become a breakout star when the Cowboys hit HBO. All that, plus a look at the remarkable Hall of Fame journey of Cowboys safety Cliff Harris, and Dez Bryant may not be done quite yet. Here’s your News and Notes.

Cowboys 53-man roster prediction is heavy on defense following draft

The Dallas Cowboys will go heavy on defense in this way too early 53-man roster prediction for the 2021 season.

The 2021 NFL draft dust is just settling, rookie free agents are in the process of getting signed and the teams are narrowing down their rosters to 90 players. The Dallas Cowboys did a little house cleaning to their roster when they released veteran players recently, most notably DT Antwaun Woods, to reach the threshold.

Now set within the roster rules with their 90-man arsenal, the Cowboys have less than four months to trim the player down to its initial 53-man team. Here’s a way too early guess at what the 2021 edition of the Cowboys might look like when they break training camp and head into the season.

Cowboys News: Wednesday is safety day at The Star, Broaddus’ pet cats revealed

Checking the latest mock draft picks and power rankings, L.P. Ladouceur’s next move, and two linemen stand up for a local bullying victim.

The secondary is still the primary story in Dallas. Continuing a week that started with safety Keanu Neal being brought into the Cowboys fold, the team sent two representatives to Tuscaloosa for (ostensibly) an up-close look at one of the hottest cornerback prospects in next month’s draft. And, oh yeah, two more free agent safeties arrive in Dallas on Wednesday for their one-on-one meetings. Will the club sign one of them? Could they sign both of them?

All the defensive rebuilding forces one outlet to ask whether it’s necessary, given the offense’s firepower. Two of the big road-graders play hero to a local bullying victim, a former Cowboys special teams star wants to keep shining in a new NFL city, and Dallas is making moves- albeit microscopic ones- in the latest set of power rankings. All that, plus exploring a sack master’s chances at being a first-ballot Hall of Famer, the league reveals plans for draft day festivities, and we’re talking pet cats and mocks. Here’s the News and Notes.

What will the Cowboys do with former Longhorn Connor Williams?

The Dallas Cowboys have plenty of questions heading into the 2021 season, but what is their plan for former Longhorn Connor Williams?

Texas ex Connor Williams is approaching his fourth season with the Dallas Cowboys and his professional career has been a bit of a roller coaster up to this point. Continue reading “What will the Cowboys do with former Longhorn Connor Williams?”

Former Longhorn Connor Williams led the Dallas Cowboys in snaps

Former Longhorn and current Dallas Cowboys left guard Connor Williams led the team in snaps this season.

In a season that was filled with a slew of injuries to the Dallas Cowboys offensive line, the one constant was former Consensus All-American and Texas Longhorn Connor Williams. He recently concluded his third season with Dallas after being selected in the 2018 NFL Draft with the No. 50 overall pick.

In his young career, Williams has played in 40 games overall with 37 starts for the Cowboys. This past season he started every single game for Dallas at left guard, the only offensive lineman to start each contest. Fellow offensive lineman Terence Steele also played in all 16 games but only started 14 of them in 2020.

The Cowboys recently released their statistical leaders for the year and no player was on the field more than Williams. He checked in with 1,144 snaps of a possible 1,145 snaps. While having to navigate through unchartered waters due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fact that he missed only one possible snap is miraculous to say the least.

In 2021, Williams will be going into the final year of his rookie contract. He has come under fire from media and the fan base alike, therefore it will be interesting to see if he is in the future plans for the Cowboys. They will have more pressing financial decisions to make as they still need to work out a long-term deal with franchise quarterback Dak Prescott.

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Week 16 Horns in the NFL: Quandre Diggs sets career-high in interceptions

The weekly Longhorns in the NFL update. In week 16, Quandre Diggs helped lead the way for the Texas Exes with just one week remaining.

Just one week left in the 2020 regular season in the NFL. This week’s update is led by Seattle Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs. Continue reading “Week 16 Horns in the NFL: Quandre Diggs sets career-high in interceptions”