Longhorns Ex Connor Williams Signs With Miami Dolphins

The Dallas Cowboys have been on record as saying they will spend this offseason "reloading'' the offensive line. But so far, it's just been "unloading.''

PFN thinks former Texas Longhorns guard Connor Williams is the No. 40 ranked free agent; the Cowboys did not think of him that highly, and now the DFW native and former Texas Longhorns standout is departing Dallas for a two-year, $14 million deal with the Miami Dolphins.

And no, the Cowboys were never going to go there, though the Dolphins obviously agree with the PFN evaluation ...

Most Cowboys fans are probably aghast at the sight of his contract projection. Nobody in the NFL held more than Connor Williams in 2021. In fact, he had double the amount of holdings as the league leaders in 2020. It also doesn’t help that his lowlights stem from a lack of functional strength, which leads to him being walked back into Prescott’s lap.

But the holdings weren’t an issue before this season, and Williams has improved each year. He’s an above-average starting left guard in the NFL, and Cowboys fans are simply spoiled to the core after having endless resources spent on the offensive line over the past 30 years.

Williams will be an improvement at the position for anybody looking to seriously upgrade the spot. It also wouldn’t surprise me if he slid inside to center eventually to try and mitigate those anchor issues. Despite those issues, he allowed just 1 sack in 569 pass-blocking snaps and only 13 total pressures overall this year.

Spotrac Market Value:

4 years, $52.9 million

The Cowboys, working to keep QB Dak Prescott upright in 2022, could have revamped Williams' left guard spot - where, even with all the criticism, the former second-rounder has been difficult to beat out - by moving tackle La'el Collins there.

But the team is not exactly enamored with Collins, either, and is allowing him to seek his own trade - even threatening to cut him outright if no deal can be forged.

In four seasons with the Cowboys Williams played in 57 games, starting 51 of those games in his career, and was penalized 30 total times. Williams was penalized 14 times in 2021 alone -- one of the highest numbers in the NFL.

Williams was originally selected by the Cowboys with the 50th overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

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