If the Dallas Cowboys are going to turn things around on defense in 2026, it might not be entirely because they make a big trade for a star player like NFL All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby or hit home runs with each of their 1st round picks in the NFL draft.
It might have to be because a gaggle of role players go above and beyond what’s expected of them — a group that might be led by former 2nd round pick and 6-foot-4, 261-pound edge rusher Sam Williams.
Williams was singled out by Pro Football Focus as the NFL’s “Most Improved’ edge rusher in the 2nd half of the 2025 season, which might bode well for 2026 if the Cowboys can bring him back — he only has a Spotrac projection of a 1-year, $2.3 million free agent contract.
“The play of edge defender Sam Williams over the course of the season was one of few bright spots for the Cowboys,” PFF’s Thomas Valentine wrote. “Williams was ineffective early on with a 39.9 PFF grade — 117th out of 118 edge defenders … From Week 10 onward, Williams earned an 80.6 PFF grade, the 11th-best among edge defenders. Williams recorded just nine pressures in eight games, but also accrued 10 stops and forced a fumble. His 74.7 PFF run-defense grade was also 13th at the position, and no one had a more improved grade in the second half of the season than Williams.”
Williams played in all 17 games in 2025, including his first 5 career starts. The Cowboys finished 30th in the NFL in team defense as they went 7-9-1 overall and missed the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive season.
Fast Start to Career Derailed by 2024 Injury
Williams had 8.5 sacks through his first 2 seasons before he suffered a season-ending ACL tear and partial MCL tear during training camp in 2024 and missed the entire season.
The Athletic’s Jon Machota predicted Williams as a breakout player for the Cowboys in 2025 — he might have just been one year (or half year) off.
“Williams holds the top spot here because his size and athletic ability are ideal for being an elite edge rusher,” Machota wrote. “The 2022 second-round pick just hasn’t been able to put it all together. His breakout season was supposed to be last year, but a season-ending knee injury in training camp put everything on hold.”
Williams Set SEC Program’s Sacks Record in 2021
Williams’ career almost went off the rails several different times before he was selected by the Cowboys in the second round (No. 56 overall) of the 2022 NFL draft.
In high school, he was expelled for having a knife on school grounds. After transferring from Northeast Mississippi Community College to Ole Miss, he was suspended in July 2020 after an arrest for felony sexual battery but reinstated after the charges were dropped.
Williams put together a season for the ages in 2021 with 57 tackles, 16 TFL, 4 forced fumbles and one fumble returned for a touchdown — he also set the school single season record with 12.5 sacks.
He followed that with a stunning performance at the NFL scouting combine, where he checked in at 6-foot-4 and 261 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds and registered a 36-inch vertical jump.
