Do Cowboys Do fans remember Connor Williams? The former University of Texas product was part of the 2018 hometown draft class that appeared to be leading the franchise in the right direction. AT&T Stadium was the site of this year's celebration, one of the first the NFL allowed cities other than New York City to host. Dallas walked away with what they considered a fundamental class, with three players selected in the first three rounds, all of whom had an immediate impact on a team that would make the playoffs and win a game.
No. On Friday, Williams became the third of those three players to end his career this season. The strange thing is that Williams retired in the middle of a season in which he started every game for his club, the Seattle Seahawks.
According to coach Mike Macdonald, starting player Connor Williams has decided to retire.
Williams, just 27, started every game for Seattle after overcoming a serious knee injury from his time in Miami.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet)
Williams left the Cowboys in free agency after the 2021 season and landed with the Miami Dolphins, who successfully moved him to center. His knee injury made him a risky move in free agency this season, but the Seahawks reaped the rewards of the small gamble with a one-year, $4 million contract. Until he abruptly ended his career after nine games of the season.
The Cowboys lost their first-round pick, LB Leighton Vander Esch, to a this year Neck injury in October last season; one of several he suffered in his short career. Vander Esch officially announced that it was abandoned in March.
A few days earlier the team had released Vander Esch and 2018 third-round WR Michael Gallup. After suffering a torn ACL in 2021, the team waited a long time for Gallup to recover, but he never regained the skills he showed in his first few years in the league.
After signing with the Las Vegas Raiders as a free agent, Gallup also abruptly retiredbut on the eve of training camp reporting.
Now all three of the club's premiere picks are gone. No player who was part of the 2018 draft class remains with Dallas as DE Dorance Armstrong leaves in free agency to join former DC Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders.
Another fourth-round pick, TE Dalton Schultz, left last year in free agency to join the Houston Texans and will return to AT&T Stadium in Monday night's Week 11 game. WR Cedrick Wilson, who played with Williams in Miami for two seasons, is currently on the New Orleans Saints roster and played in the Week 2 matchup against the Cowboys.
