There’s no question that good offensive line health has been key to the Cowboys’ offensive performance thus far. However, what happened in the game against the Patriots made it clear that the five up front have things to improve. This, of course, if they do not want to cost him meetings as almost happened last Sunday.
Against New England, the cowboy team committed a total of 12 fouls that cost them 115 yards. Of those fouls, eight were caused by the five starting offensive linemen: Connor Williams (3), Tyron Smith (2), Zack Martin, Terence Steele and Tyler Biadasz. In fact, six of the eight fouls occurred in the first three quarters of the match.
Cowboys completed a bingo on O-line. Five starters penalized at least once in first three quarters: LT Tyron Smith (holding and hands to face), LG Connor Williams (holding), RT Terence Steele (false start), RG Zack Martin (illegal man downfield) and C Tyler Biadasz (false start).
– Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 17, 2021
These kinds of offensive line performances are the ones that can cost Dallas a victory. In fact, a legend of the cowboy team claimed during the broadcast of the game that the only ones who could defeat the Cowboys are the Cowboys themselves. So said Tony Romo, a former cowboy quarterback and current sportscaster on CBS.
“The Cowboys are not lagging behind anyone”Romo said during the broadcast. “They can win the Super Bowl this year because they have the ability to generate turnovers. They have players like Diggs. They have an unstoppable offense when they don’t hurt themselves. “.
Tony Romo: “The Dallas Cowboys aren’t taking a backseat to anybody. They can win the Super Bowl this year because they have the ability to create turnovers, they have players like Diggs, they have an offense that is unstoppable, when they don’t hurt themselves.”
— Damon R. Marx (@DamonMarxDMN) October 17, 2021
Connor Williams, the weakest link
Of the five linemen, the one who was singled out after the game against the Patriots was Connor Williams. The Dallas left guard committed four fouls in that game, three for holding the opponent, one of which was declined by officials. However, his two fouls (one for unsportsmanlike conduct and one declined foul) in the fourth quarter nearly cost the Cowboys the game.
This happened in the last offensive series of the game, when the cowboy team was looking to win or at least draw to go into overtime. Williams fouls left Dallas in a tricky 3rd and 25th position. However, a 24-yard pass from Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb left Dallas 4th and 1st in good position for Greg Zuerlein to tie the action with a field goal to prolong the match.
Cowboys LG Connor Williams already been flagged twice for holding today. Then he gets flagged for his third holding with an unsportsmanlike conduct. Holding declined. Unsportsmanlike contact counts.
So third-and-25.
– Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 17, 2021
Although Williams has been a consistent performer, he is singled out by some as the weakest piece of Dallas’ offensive line due to his offensive fouls. And the statistics don’t help him.
Connor Williams currently leads the NFL in total fouls with 7, tying with rookie tackle Alex Leatherwood (Raiders). In addition, he is also the leader in fouls for holding the opponent (6) and the third player with the most penalty yards (75). In the latter statistic, Williams is the only offensive lineman in the top 5, where the other spots are filled by defensive backs.
But that is not all. Williams has already surpassed his foul records from previous seasons: six in 2018, five in 2019 and five more in 2020. Therefore, this is already his worst season in this section. And that’s overwhelming, considering there are still 12 weeks to play.
This does not favor Connor Williams, who is in his final year of contract with Dallas. To this is assumed his poor performance as a backup center, an experiment that came out unsuccessful during the preseason.
Was this really a hold on Connor Williams? ????
I know I’m nit picking. But some of these calls could’ve been costly! pic.twitter.com/yVGcUJIPz0— Dallas Cowboys Collaboration (@mailman_phil) September 28, 2021
Should Connor Williams be replaced in the next games?
This performance by Williams calls into question his continuity in the Cowboys’ starting offensive line. Even the reinstatement of tackle La’el Collins after his suspension and the good performance of Terence Steele in his place can lead to a possible change of positions.
It is worth mentioning that Collins has experience playing guard. In fact, he served in that position in college football and early in his NFL career with Dallas. That said, one option would be to use Collins at left guard and Steele at right tackle. This, of course, would imply that Connor Williams goes from the starting position to the bench.
However, this seems like an unlikely option. As reported by Sports Illustrated’s Mike Fisher, a source close to the team reported that Collins will remain at the tackle position. However, it is unknown if he will regain the title immediately or if Steele will retain the title for at least some games.
Experiment aside, the natural choice to replace Williams would be guard Connor McGovern, who is his backup at the position. Even the Mexican Isaac Alarcón could have a chance from the practice squad. But this last possibility looks complicated, at least in the short term.
Without a doubt, this bye week will be vital for the Cowboys coaching staff to evaluate and make the necessary adjustments to their offensive line. This part of the team should not incur so many fouls, especially as the season continues to progress. It remains to be seen if the general performance of the linemen improves in the next games, and if Connor Williams can reverse his situation in search of a contract extension with Dallas.
