The Dallas Cowboys didn’t beat the Detroit Lions on Thursday, and because of that, it puts the team’s playoff hopes in dire straits. It’s certainly disappointing to not make it into the playoffs. Just a couple of years ago, they were coming off three consecutive appearances. Now, they are on the cusp of missing the postseason in back-to-back seasons.
Missing out on the playoffs would suck, but there are many reasons to be optimistic about what’s to come. The Cowboys have several good players and plenty of promising youngsters who continue to get better. If nothing else, these last four games will serve as an evaluation period for several players auditioning for expanded roles next season.
One of the biggest question marks for the Cowboys next year will be the defensive end position. Rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku is off to a great start to his career, and he’ll be around for a while as he’s under contract for three more years. The team signed four different edge rushers in free agency, but three of them – Jadeveon Clowney, Dante Fowler, and Payton Turner are only here on one-year deals. All of them will hit free agency next year. Only James Houston is under contract for next season.
One player who gets lost in all these names is Sam Williams. The former second-round pick of 2022 had solid seasons as a rotational player in his first two years in the league, finishing with at least four sacks in each of them. Unfortunately, he injured his knee last year and missed the entire 2024 season. This year, he was expected to see a larger role after the trade of Micah Parsons, and at first, he did. He logged the most defensive snaps of any of the Cowboys’ edge rushers over the first two games of the season. But with the addition of Clowney and the emergence of Ezeiruaku, his playing time has dipped. Here is how the snap count percentage looks over the first 13 games of the season:
This table shows the two players with the most defensive snaps in each game highlighted in darker blue. As you can see, even though Williams has seen a slight drop in snaps, he’s still the edge rusher who is next in line after Ezeiruaku and Clowney.
Williams is an interesting player. The team had high hopes for him after selecting him in the second round. There have been maturity concerns, and last year he was suspended by the NFL for three games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, stemming from his 2023 arrest on substance and weapons charges. His suspension didn’t cost him any games because he was already out for the season with an injury, but it did cost him over $200k in game checks.
On the field, Williams has been the subject of criticism for some of the bonehead penalties he’s racked up. Most of them include unnecessary roughness or illegal hands-to-the-face penalties. He’s also pulled off the hat trick on special teams in 2023 when he had a roughing the kicker, running into the kicker, and fair catch interference penalty, all in the same season.
Despite these mental lapses, Williams is still a contributor. This season, he’s quietly been a regular playmaker for the defense. It’s easy to forget about him amidst all those other guys who also splash around and make plays, but when you look closely, he’s a valuable piece.
William’s three-year resume is neither bad nor great, meaning he shouldn’t command very much on the free agent market next offseason. His periodic defensive splashes, combined with his big plays on special teams, are very reminiscent of Dorance Armstrong, who was a solid player throughout his rookie contract. The Cowboys initially brought him back on a cheap, two-year deal before eventually letting him walk when Washington offered him a nice chunk of change.
We could see something similar happening for Williams. If the coaching staff feels good about what he’s shown them, he may have earned himself another short-term prove-it deal that would shore up their depth. The team will likely look for one of the top edge rushers in the upcoming draft to pair with Ezeiruaku, but they’ll need to have veterans on the roster that can help provide a bridge for the younger guys. Don’t be surprised if the Cowboys sign another veteran free agent (or maybe re-sign Clowney?), but also give strong consideration to bringing back Williams for a couple more seasons.
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