The Dallas Cowboys saw a key defender go down on Sunday as Sam Williams injured his knee during drills. It was confirmed that Williams suffered a torn ACL and MCL and will undergo surgery, ending the year for the promising pass-rusher.
Dallas will be thin at the position with Marshawn Kneeland and Viliami Fehoko as the top rotational players. They could decide to let them develop as they play but with high hopes in 2024, the safe bet is to add veteran talent.
If Dallas wants to go this route, here are seven players they could target.
Markus Golden is a 33-year-old veteran who spent time with three different NFL teams. The majority of his career has taken place in Arizona, having two stints with the Cardinals. In 127 career games, he has 51 sacks and his double-digits three times.
He had 20 tackles and four sacks for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023, proving he can still get it done when called upon. He’s always lined up as a 3-4 outside linebacker but Mike Zimmer knows how to put players in a position to succeed and could utilize Golden on third-downs.
If the Cowboys wanted someone with a little more size, Shaq Lawson could be their guy.
Lawson stands 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds and has been a decent run-stuffer for the majority of his career. He never lived up to his first-round status but has still been good enough to play in the league for eight years now. That includes two stints with the Buffalo Bills. In all, he has 207 tackles and 26 sacks while adding seven forced fumbles.
Injuries derailed a promising career for Tyus Bowser who had seven sacks in 2021 with the Baltimore Ravens. After that, he dealt with an Achilles injury costing him half of the 2022 season. He missed all of 2023 with a knee injury and was waived this offseason.
Dallas would be rolling the dice with this move but Bowser is still just 29 years old and could be a steal if healthy.
Another player who has dealt with several injuries throughout his career is Carl Lawson. In four years with the Cincinnati Bengals, he missed 14 games. When he was on the field, he was productive with 20 sacks in 51 games.
He signed with the New York Jets in 2021 and missed his first season with them after suffering a ruptured Achilles. He returned in 2022 and had 33 tackles and seven sacks that year. Injuries again slowed him in 2023 as he missed the majority of the year. Teams have stayed away but there’s a lot of upside here — although signing him comes with just as much risk.
One of the more underrated pass-rushers in the NFL, Yannick Ngakoue had at least eight sacks in each of his first seven seasons in the NFL. He’s basically the defensive version of Brandin Cooks as he accomplished this while playing for five different teams.
His sixth team was the Chicago Bears in 2023 and he had 22 tackles and four sacks in 13 games before ending the season on the IR. He still had more than 30 pressures, however, and if healthy could provide a serviceable option off the bench.
Charles Harris was the 22nd overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Miami Dolphins made the same mistake the Cowboys did as they passed on T.J. Watt and regretted the move.
Harris spent three years in Miami and had just 3.5 sacks. He broke out in 2021 with the Detroit Lions, posting 65 tackles and 7.5 sacks. He’s been quiet since then but would offer some speed and experience on the edge.
Justin Houston was a stud for years with the Kansas City Chiefs and had a resurgence in 2022 with the Baltimore Ravens. At 33 years of age, he registered 9.5 sacks off the bench.
He saw a decline in 2023, recording just a half-sack with the Carolina Panthers. Perhaps his time has passed but the Cowboys could bring him in to see if there’s anything left in the tank. If nothing else, he would give them one more veteran leader for a defense with several young prospects.
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