Cowboys DE Williams Suffers Torn ACL – What can go wrong will go wrong. Even before the Dallas Cowboys break a sweat and get their feet wet in their first full-padded practice, the team has suffered their first devasting injury of camp.
Sam Williams, who was expected to shoulder more responsibility, leadership, have an expanded role and bolster the team’s pass rush, suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee during Sunday’s practice. That injury will require orthoscopic surgery and will land him on season-ending injured reserve.
Williams was attempting to execute a special teams drill when he was blocking with another defender during the injury that dropped him to the field for several minutes. Williams was in so much agony and pain that he needed assistance to get to his feet and he could bear no weight on his left leg when he was carried to the cart.
Immediately after practice, Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones was hoping for the best-case scenario, but was bracing for the worst concerning Williams, but said “it doesn’t look good.”
That is a tough blow for both Williams and the Cowboys, who drafted him with the 56th pick in the second round in 2022 with aspirations he could be a disruptor and a force off the edge.
Embed from Getty ImagesHe wracked up four sacks and 22 tackles in 15 games as a rookie, receiving votes for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
While Williams has recorded 8.5 sacks in two years, this was slated to be his break-out campaign especially since the Cowboys did not re-sign free agents Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler, who both reunited with Dan Quinn in the nation’s capital, Washington.
With Williams down, the Cowboys will use the next man up mentality and turn to other pass-rushers such as second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland, along with Durrell Johnson and Junior Fehoko.
The Cowboys obviously have one of the NFL’s best pass-rushers in Micah Parsons, who has 40.5 sacks in the first three seasons of his career out of Penn State, along with four-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence.
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Patriots’ Barmore Out Indefinitely Due to Blood Clots – There is scary news coming out of Foxborough. New England Patriots star defensive lineman Christian Barmore will be sidelined indefinitely after experiencing blood clots.
The Patriots said in a statement that Barmore was diagnosed “over the weekend.” Barmore recently inked a four-year extension with the franchise worth up to $84 million. He also had a birthday on Sunday, turning 25.
“Over the weekend, Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots,” the team said. “He was appropriately treated by the doctors at Mass General Brigham, who tested, evaluated and treated Christian.”
“Our principal concern at this time is Christian’s health and wellbeing. Fortunately, Mass General Brigham provides some of the best healthcare in the world.”
“While there is no current timetable for his return, we know Christian is getting tremendous care and we look forward to his full recovery.”
Barmore’s agent, Nicole Lynn, detailed the seriousness of his medical situation in a social media post just moments after the Patriots’ announcement that thanked Patriots athletic trainer Jim Whalen.
Barmore had a coming out party in his third season in 2023 after the Patriots selected him in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The former Alabama player appeared in all 17 games and registered 65 tackles with 8.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. The extension he signed with the team included over $40 million in guaranteed money.
The Patriots are counting on him to be an anchor of a defense that was one bright spot in an otherwise dim 2023 season. New England gave up just 4.7 yards a play and 21.5 points a game last season but finished 4-13 because of an inept offense that scored fewer than 14 points per game.
New England took former North Carolina QB Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft back in April as they begin a rebuild of the offense under new head coach and longtime Bill Belichick assistant Jerod Mayo.
