Dallas Cowboys rookie defensive end Sam Williams had a “Welcome to the NFL” moment in his first preseason game last night.
The second-round pick out of Mississippi was flagged for roughing the passer in the first half of Dallas’ 17-7 loss to the Denver Broncos, and the call was questionable to say the least.
It really didn’t appear that Williams hit Denver quarterback Brett Rypien in an illegal fashion, but we’ve seen the NFL prioritize protecting quarterbacks almost to a fault.
Williams learned that firsthand on Saturday.
It’s hard to fault Williams here, because you don’t want to take away a player’s natural aggression, especially when they are a rookie trying to leave an early mark.
Cowboys fans just have to hope that the next time Williams is in this situation, he holds off enough to avoid being flagged.