NFL Rumors: Cowboys had interest in Buccaneers’ Super Bowl champion before draft
The Dallas Cowboys' draft wasn't the highest or worst rated by critics and insiders. Their first-round pick, Tyler Smith, was a surprising selection. But the rest of their draft addressed roster needs, including defensive end Sam Williams, who was their second-round selection.
ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler provided a behind-the-scenes look into the Cowboys' process of taking Williams in a Tuesday column.
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According to Fowler, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was looking for edge rushers that would fill the hole left behind by Randy Gregory. Fowler also revealed Dallas kicked the tires on former divisional rival and recent Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Jason Pierre-Paul before taking Williams. Fowler wrote:
"Quinn did a ton of homework on fast, quick players with pass-rush production. That led the Cowboys to second-round pick Sam Williams (No. 56), who will work his way into the D-line rotation. Dallas now feels it has at least six capable edge rushers. At one point, it had some interest in veteran Jason Pierre-Paul, but the draft might have changed those plans."
That is an intriguing report from Fowler, given Jerry Jones' squad's need for a pass rusher. Interdivisional player swaps are always fascinating.
Although Pierre-Paul has been with the Buccaneers the past four seasons, he spent the first eight seasons of his career tallying 58.5 sacks for the New York Giants.
But given his advancing age (33), it makes sense why Dallas would choose to go younger in selecting Williams.
Cowboys will need to lean on their defense more in 2022
Dallas possessed a top-ten defense throughout the 2021 season. It was one of the reasons they went 12-5 and won the NFC East. The catalyst for their dominance was Micah Parsons, who unanimously won defensive rookie of the year.
Parsons was outstanding in every sense of the imagination, tallying 13 sacks, 84 tackles, and three forced fumbles. Since Gregory changed his mind at the last second on returning to Dallas, it'll be up to Parsons, Williams, and DeMarcus Lawrence to pick up the slack.
The defense should remain an elite unit despite the loss of Gregory. Trevon Diggs led the NFL in interceptions last year with 11. Between Diggs, Parsons, and solid coaching from Dan Quinn, it's hard to expect a dramatic falloff.
Quinn's confidence in the unit can inspire confidence in fans as well.
Cowboys VP Stephen Jones on @1053thefan on the team's defense: "We have a lot of the pieces that we do feel really good about, but you can always improve. ... Even if we stayed status quo, I think Dan Quinn believes we're going to have a better defense (than last year)."
While Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot are still running the offense, the loss of Amari Cooper could prove to be critical. Without Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup have massive shoes to fill.
For that reason, the Cowboys will have to rely more on the defense while the offense figures out how to gel without Cooper.