Cowboys Camp Preview D-Line: Do Micah Sacks Matter? Sam as 'Ruiner'?

Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence? They're the prom kings. But perhaps Sam Williams and Mazi Smith are ready to move up on stage, too. Our Cowboys D-line camp preview ...

FRISCO - When considering the Dallas Cowboys defensive front, thoughts naturally gravitate toward Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. But perhaps second-year defensive end Sam Williams could make a big splash this season and join that big-name party.​

Coach Mike McCarthy has already stated that Williams could take the "second-year leap," with Williams himself setting a sack goal of 10 for this season. So ... as we march through our camp previews ... the O-line is here. ... Our preview of the secondary is here. ... Please click here to take a look at "Home-Run Hitters!' Cowboys Camp Preview: Lamb & Cooks & WRs'' ...

And now? The training camp preview of the defensive line ...

DO SACKS MATTER? With Dallas deep at defensive end as Lawrence, Parsons, Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler all rotate along the defensive line, Williams might have to be content with a rotational role. But there is some star quality there. Williams last year played only 27 percent of the team's snaps, but he still managed four sacks and 22 pressures.

That doesn't make Williams a Lawrence or a Parsons. But CBS Sports colorfully suggests "he's going to ruin some tackles' Sundays." .. and that's a good way of saying it. One can only imagine what Williams might produce if he gets ample snaps on game day, but given the embarrassment of riches at coordinator Dan Quinn's disposal, that might be tough to accomplish.

At the same time, Micah (with his 26.5 sacks in his first two seasons) has talked of not being obsessed with sacks. As he put it: "I'm kind of off the 'sack wave.' I'm onto the 'impact wave. ... I really just want to be dominant. You see guys who have 16 to 17 sacks, but they're not considered 'a guy.' I want to be 'a guy,' not 'one of the guys."

So maybe Micah moves around ... and the "obsession'' moves to Sam?

MAZI AND RUN-STOPPING Beefing up their interior defensive line was a goal this offseason, which they followed through on by drafting Michigan's Mazi Smith with the No. 26 overall pick. The Cowboys believe he possesses star quality as something more than a wide body, and eventually they would like to tap into his athleticism as a pass-rusher.

But for now? Mazi - with those "broadest shoulders anybody's ever seen!'' - pushing Johnathan Hankins for time next to Osa Odighizuwa will be a good camp story to monitor.

MISCELLANEOUS .... There will be trade buzz by the end of camp assuming all of these guys stay healthy. Dallas has a surplus of pass-rushers (always uber-valued around here) and on the inside, there are so many bodies that Neville Gallimore is being talked about (by media) as a cut candidate. Know this for now though: What the Cowboys would gain by letting Gallimore go any time soon is just $2.5 million in cap space. So, patience here. ... Young players like Chauncey Golston, Quinton Bohanna and rookie Junior Fehoko join Gallimore as guys who are going to have to work themselves up from the back end of the roster.

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