2024 was supposed to be a breakout year for Sam Williams. After grading well in limited opportunities in his first two seasons, Williams was going to be an integral part of the defensive end rotation in Dallas under Mike Zimmer. With Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler heading to Washington via free agency, Williams had a clear path to DE3 ahead of him, as the primary backup to Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.
An ACL injury changed all of that, wiping out Williams' entire third season, and placing him in a tough spot entering the final year of his rookie deal. While Lawrence is no longer in town, Fowler has returned and the Cowboys have continued to draft at his position. Edge rusher is the Cowboys' best position heading into training camp, and aside from his recovery, Williams has a ton of competition to fight through while looking to secure his future.
Rundown
Contract: Four-year contract (2022), $6.2 million
2025 Base Salary: $1.15 million
Career Earnings: $4.45 million (perOver The Cap)
Profile
Williams' 8.5 sacks through two years isn't earth shattering, but his limited opportunities are likely the cause of that number not being higher. Pro Football Focus graded his pass-rush ability as 71.0 and 73.0, upper-third grades. It's hard to get an exact comparison for the kind of career start Williams has had, but Green Bay's Rashad Gary and Miami's Bradley Chubb are the ones he probably most want to identify with.
Gary went from seven sacks in his first two seasons to 9.5 in Year 3, eventually earning a $96 million, four-year extension from the Packers. Chubb had a much stronger start, with 12 sacks as a rookie, but missed much of his second and fourth seasons to injury. Chubb earned a $110 million deal.
Can Williams explode in 2025 and earn a similar payday that will set him up for life?
There are now two dozen edge rushers making over $13 million in average salary. To get there, Williams will have to carve out playing time from Parsons, Fowler, second-year second rounder Marshawn Kneeland and rookie second rounder Donovan Ezeiruaku. He'll also be competing against Payton Turner and Solomon Thomas. Suffice to say, there's plenty of competition, but Williams does have the ability to stand out.
He's proven a viable pass rusher, has youth on his side as the youngest of the pending free agents. Out of Turner, Thomas, Fowler and Williams, it helps Dallas if Williams is the best of all, either through convincing them to invest long term or driving up his comp-pick worthiness for 2026 free agency.
