Miami Dolphins to sign former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman
The Dallas Cowboys are losing an offensive lineman via free agency.
Connor Williams is signing a two-year, $14 million deal with the Miami Dolphins, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Williams’ agents Drew Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha told fellow NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport $7.5 million of that deal is guaranteed.
The Cowboys selected Williams as the No. 50 overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He had quite a career at Texas, earning First Team All-Big 12 and Consensus All-American honors in 2016. With the Cowboys, Williams helped anchor the offensive line alongside Pro Bowl nominees Tyron Smith and Zack Martin.
Pro Football Focus ranked Williams as the No. 31 free agent available in this year’s class and gave him a 76.1 overall grade. Now, he’s on his way to Miami to help protect Tua Tagovailoa under new head coach Mike McDaniel after allowing just one sack this past season.
Dallas went 12-5 overall in 2021, but fell in the NFC Wild Card Round to the San Francisco 49ers. The Cowboys have been busy this offseason already, and brought back an important part of their revamped defense earlier Tuesday.
Report: Dallas Cowboys agree to deal with former Ohio State safety
Malik Hooker is staying in Dallas.
The Cowboys are re-signing Hooker to a two-year, $8 million deal, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He’s coming off his first year with the team after starting his career with the Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts drafted Hooker as the No. 15 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft after a standout career at Ohio State. He helped the Buckeyes to a 2014 national championship and earned First Team All-Big Ten honors in 2016 before entering the draft.
Hooker played for Indianapolis from 2017-20, but tore his achilles two games into the 2020 season. He signed with the Cowboys prior to the 2021 season and had a solid bounce-back year in Dallas. He played in 15 games in 2021, including three starts. In that time, he totaled 44 tackles and an interception to help Dallas’ revamped defense become one of the best in the NFL under Dan Quinn.
During his four-year career, Hooker has 168 tackles and eight interceptions to his name.
The Cowboys are coming off a 12-5 season in 2021 that ended with an NFC Wild Card Round loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Dallas has been working hard already this offseason, releasing wide receiver Amari Cooper before inking a contract to keep Michael Gallup in town for the foreseeable future.