Connor Williams 'Ahead of Schedule' as Cowboys Reload in O-Line
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys offensive line is undergoing alterations, in personnel and in philosophy. Connor Williams has a chance to be part of both the tradition ... and the change.
"It's going well. It's going ahead of schedule," Williams said recently SiriusXM NFL Radio. "I'm starting field work and everything and I plan to be able to play the first game of the season. That's what we're shooting for."
Williams is obviously making progress from the December surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, an injury sustained when tore his ACL in the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day loss to Buffalo and then missed the rest of the season.
But even with his recovery, the former second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft is guaranteed nothing. The Travis Frederick retirement after seven NFL seasons set in motion a series of possible alterations in an offensive line that was already going to have a different feel due to the coaching change, with new boss Mike McCarthy putting long-time aide Joe Philbin in charge of the Dallas O-line in 2020.
Frederick said in a statement that he's ready for "the next chapter of life." The Cowboys and Connor Williams must do the same now, in a football sense.
"Trav took it beyond the game," Williams said via DallasCowboys.com. "He knew more than he needed to, and definitely at center, you have to be a smart guy. But I think Trav definitely surpassed that. Just the brightest guy. He knew all the plays. He knew all the defenses – what to see.
"He just could so easily call it out and so quickly, he always called out what was coming for us. And to be able to have that extra edge on the players just helps so much."
Funny that Williams - the University of Texas product via Coppell High School - would mention intelligence at center. The Cowboys have options in the replacement of Frederick, and in theory, Williams himself could be among those options. The Cowboys re-signed Joe Looney, who has experience here as a starting center, and Adam Redmond has also been re-signed. Last year's third-round pick Connor McGovern played center and guard at Penn State. And yes, this Connor (Williams) can also play center.
His first goal, of course, is to get healthy. And after that? The Cowboys have undergone O-line changes ... and Connor Williams could be central to them.
