There was a time when Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Sam Williams was viewed as one of the top up and coming young defenders in the NFL. Or, at the very least, that was how Cowboys fans felt.
That feels like somewhat of a distant memory now.
After a strong rookie campaign that saw Williams post 22 tackles, four sacks and three fumble recoveries in 2022, things have not quite been the same for the former second-round pick.
Williams showed little to no progression in Year 2, finishing with 26 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He then missed the entire 2024 campaign due to a torn ACL, and last season, he logged 37 tackles and one sack.
Now, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox has listed him among a group of players that are in need of a change of scenery, urging Dallas to trade him.
“Dallas suddenly has a logjam of edge-defenders,” Knox wrote. “Rising star Donovan Ezeiruaku is back, and the Cowboys traded to add Rashan Gary to their edge rotation. They then used first- and third-round picks on Malachi Lawrence and Jaishawn Barham, respectively.”
There would certainly be a fair amount of teams interested in Williams given his potential, but he is only on a one-year contract (he re-signed with the Cowboys back in the spring), so it would be hard to imagine Dallas getting very much in return.
Williams starred at Ole Miss, racking up 58 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks during his final season with the Rebels in 2021. He accumulated 20.5 sacks across three seasons at Mississippi.
Still just 27 years old, it’s entirely possible that Williams still has a breakout campaign in the tank, but will that come in Dallas with all of the talent the Cowboys have at his position?
Williams will be nothing more than a rotational player in Dallas this year, and even in his first three seasons, he played in 27 percent, 28 percent and 43 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, respectively.
Perhaps it’s time for both sides to move on, but again, whether or not the Cowboys would be amenable to trading Williams for a minimal return is the question.
Knox tabbed the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers as the top potential destinations for Williams.
