FRISCO – Cowboys starting left guard Connor Williams will have season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee in two to four weeks. Williams suffered the injury at some point during Thursday’s game. Williams was hurt late in the first half but returned. After he committed a false start with 8:26 left in the third quarter, Williams limped off the field and didn’t return.
Williams, a Texas product from Coppell, had missed just one game after undergoing minor surgery on his left knee.
“Connor has been a good player for us,” Garrett said. “[He] started a lot of games for us last year as a rookie and then came back after his injury, did a good job for us in the playoffs and again has been the established starter at that left guard spot all year long. He’s really grown and developed as a player and done a really good job for us, got bigger and stronger than he was his rookie year, [and] we expected that when we drafted him.”
Garrett dismissed the notion that Williams returned after tearing the ACL. Each time Williams went out, the Cowboys training staff spoke with and examined him extensively on the sidelines.
With Williams out, the Cowboys will move Xavier Sua’-Filo to his spot. Garrett ruled out 2019 third-round pick Connor McGovern as a possible replacement. McGovern has been out with a pectoral injury, and Garrett said the rookie isn’t physically ready to practice.
Briefly: WR Amar Cooper underwent a MRI exam on his left knee, which revealed no structural damage. LB Sean Lee (pectoral strain), DL Michael Bennett (foot), and CB Chidobe Awuzie (thigh contusion) had health issues coming out of the Bills game but should be fine moving forward. LB Leighton Vander Esch (herniated disc) and DT Antwaun Woods (knee) remain week-to-week.