Veteran Pass-Rusher Hints at Cowboys Signing After Williams Injury

Veteran pass-rusher Carl Lawson posted a cryptic message on social media that suggests he’s interested in signing with the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys are in need of a pass-rusher after third-year defensive end Sam Williams went down with a torn ACL in training camp. Shortly after the news, Lawson dropped a one-emoji tweet of a star.

Lawson, a former fourth-round pick, has played for the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets. He has 27 career sacks in 31 starts and 28 tackles for loss.

Lawson’s best year came as a rookie with the Bengals, when he managed 8.5 sacks. More recently, he had 7 sacks with the Jets in 2022 but only suited up for six games last season. He expressed his frustration with his lack of snaps.

“I’ve always wanted to be the best version of myself for the team. But at the end of the day, I do want to be a football player, I do want to produce and I do want to help, because I’m a football player, not a cheerleader, so that’s kind of where my head is at with that,” Lawson said last season.

If the Cowboys are looking for a veteran, cheap fill-in, Lawson would be the call to make. He’s eager to contribute and would be able to do so alongside Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.

Cowboys Had Big Plans for Sam Williams

Williams was the Cowboys’ second-round pick in 2022. He quickly earned a spot in the rotation and has been a key contributor.

Williams has 8.5 sacks over the last two seasons and has played about a third of the snaps on the defensive side of the ball. That was expected to go up this year following the departures of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler.

“We had big plans for him,” Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said on Monday, July 29. “He was going to play an awful lot, probably, I’m guessing, 70-75 percent of the time.” “We’ll just have to move some chess pieces around and try to figure out other ways to do things. With us moving (Micah) Parsons around a little bit, (Williams) was going to be out there with Parsons and (DeMarcus Lawrence).”

Cowboys Rookie Marshawn Kneeland Will Play ‘A Lot’

If the Cowboys decide not to sign a veteran, a bigger load would fall on rookie Marshawn Kneeland. Kneeland was selected in the second round (No. 56 overall) this year. During his college career at Western Michigan, he had 148 tackles and 13 sacks.

The Cowboys saw a lot of Lawrence in Kneeland when they decided to draft him.

“We’ve talked about it before, as hard as DLaw [DeMarcus Lawrence] played at Boise State, there are some similarities there. That is what we thought about him,” Cowboys VP of Player Personnel Will McClay said after selecting Kneeland in April.

So far, the rookie has made a good impression in camp. Zimmer assured he’d have a role with Williams out of the picture.

“Marshawn Kneeland has done a really nice job,” said Zimmer. “He would’ve played anyway but I think he’s gonna end up having to play a lot now.”

The Cowboys open the season on September 8 against the Cleveland Browns.