Getty Cowboys OL Connor Williams
One Cowboys starting offensive lineman could bolt Dallas for the desert, according to the latest NFL projections.
Pro Football Focus has forecast Cowboys left guard Connor Williams signing a three-year, $20 million contract ($12.5 million guaranteed) with the Arizona Cardinals when unrestricted free agency opens in March.
The analytics giant ranked Williams among its top-50 pending free agents, penciling in the 24-year-old at No. 38 overall.
“Williams has improved each year he’s played for the Cowboys,” PFF’s Arjun Menon wrote on February 21. “In 2021, Williams recorded a 75.2 PFF grade — his highest since entering the league — and only allowed 22 pressures, which is a career-low. The Cardinals need help at guard, and Williams can stabilize a unit that looked shaky to end the year, especially with the type of interior rushers in the NFC West.”
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The Lone Free-Agent OL
A 2018 second-round draft pick, Williams appeared in all 17 regular-season games last season, making 14 starts while finishing as PFF’s 11th-highest-rated OG, nine spots behind perennial Pro Bowl teammate, Cowboys right guard Zack Martin.
Williams was benched amid the 2021 campaign in favor of Connor McGovern, a switch that stemmed from the former’s propensity to draw penalty flags. Williams remained on the field, however, with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore situationally employing him at fullback and even split out wide.
“I love the way Connor has handled everything,” head coach Mike McCarthy said in December, via SI.com. “Graded out very high on his participation last week. He is dialed in. He hasn’t blinked. Appreciate that from him.”
Williams is the only Dallas lineman scheduled to hit the open market on March 16, the start of the new league year. The club has 21 unrestricted free agents, per OverTheCap.com.
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Gregory to Join Indy?
In related news, Pro Football Focus also predicted that Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory, one of the team’s aforementioned UFAs, will ink a two-year, $25 million deal ($15 million guaranteed) with the Indianapolis Colts. Gregory was ranked as the outlet’s No. 14 free agent.
“Gregory was inconsistent in 2021 but flashed elite upside,” Menon wrote. “One such stretch saw him record a 90-plus PFF pass-rushing grade in three straight games (versus the Giants, Patriots and Vikings). His play was crucial to the Cowboys’ defensive success, especially after Demarcus Lawrence went out in Week 1.
“The Colts recently hired Gus Bradley as their defensive coordinator, and his philosophy is simple: rush four and play Cover 3, which only works an effective pass rush. Kwity Paye appears to be an effective pass-rusher, but adding Gregory opposite of him would enable Bradley’s scheme to flourish.”
Gregory, 29, tied a career-best with six sacks last season while also notching 17 quarterback hits, 15 solo tackles, and three forced fumbles across 12 games (11 starts) for Dallas. His market value is estimated to be $13.2 million annually, according to Spotrac.com, which has Gregory landing a three-year, $39.78 million pact that makes him the league’s 14th-highest-paid edge rusher on a per-year basis.