Dolphins need to act fast to make reunion happen amid heavy competition

In Week 14 of the 2023 season, Miami Dolphins center Connor Williams suffered a season-ending ACL injury that put his career and health in jeopardy.

Agent Drew Rosenhaus described the "pretty significant knee injury" during an interview on Miami television station WSVN in March.

“Without getting into his private business, it was a significant knee injury," Rosenhaus said. "So, he’s taking his time with his rehab. I don’t think his immediate plan is to sign with the Dolphins or any team right now. I think he’s focused on his medical situation — getting healthy — and then see where he stands at that point. So, it’s not going to be any time soon that we see Connor Williams signing with an NFL team.”

Things seem to have progressed quickly for Williams, however, as he now expects to be healthy for the 2024 season.

Last Call, Miami: Connor Williams is drawing interest from multiple teams

Williams is expecting to be ready for the start of the regular season and has drawn interest from multiple teams, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. He plans to pick a new team before training camps begin in July.

Williams was considered to be one of the best centers in the league last season. Prior to his injury, Pro Football Focus graded Williams as the top center in the league with an 85.9 overall grade.

In nine starts, Williams allowed just one sack, one quarterback hit, and six total pressures on 280 pass blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Williams received a 71.7 pass blocking grade, and a dominant 90.5 run blocking grade.

The Philadelphia Eagles are considered to be one of the top candidates to land Williams after Jason Kelce's retirement, but it may not be too late for Miami to swoop in and sign him.

Miami has approximately $16.8 million in salary cap space, according to OverTheCap. Miami could create more cap space by agreeing to terms on a contract extension for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who is currently accounting for $23.1 million in salary cap space due to the fifth-year option of his rookie contract.

Still, with wide receiver Tyreek Hill also looking for a new contract and the recent addition of Tennessee Titans center Aaron Brewer, Miami may want to be a bit more conservative with their spending.

Williams was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Williams, who played as an offensive guard for Dallas, allowed the fewest pressures of any Cowboys lineman in the final year of his rookie contract. Dallas still allowed him to test the market that offseason, and Williams signed a two-year deal with the Dolphins in 2022.

The six-year veteran has proven to be durable during his time in the league. Prior to this injury, Williams hadn't missed a game since his sophomore campaign in 2019. He missed 11 total games during his first two years in the league.

Williams started all 17 games in 2022 and nine games in 2023. He missed a Week 4 matchup against the Buffalo Bills with a groin injury prior to suffering the season-ending injury during a Week 14 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. It was a brutal blow for the 27-year-old, especially since he was in the final year of his contract. Williams could see his contract value take a hit since there are still lingering questions regarding the severity of his injury.