The Fan on FA Sam Williams future as a Cowboy

[Acceptablename]

Yes he wasn't productive but he has experience to some degree.
Let him check out his value and see if we're interested.

 

[America's Cowboy]

As reserve and budget friendly deal. The 3 years for $9M sounds reasonable to avoid creating another hole to fill.

Cowboys definitely need to bring Sam Williams back. He has ability and much to prove. With new defensive coaches, this might be the trick that gets him to play up to his physical abilities. A 3 year / $9 million offer is more than fair and should cement a deal to keep and improve such a young talent.

 

[RonWashington]

James Houston 27 had 5.5 sacks last year . I like him in the 2026 rotation with hopefully Clowney

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

I’m one of the few fans of Sam. He’s another one of these guys who looks better with Quinn.

 

[phildadon86]

I am ok bringing him back on a 2 year deal, maybe $5 million total. Is that reasonable compared to 3 years at 9 million?
He has some tools and potential, but needs to get more disciplined to rid himself of knucklehead plays.
Can Parker be able to do that.

I will be fine if they move on as well.

You can’t fix stupid.

 

[phildadon86]

I’m one of the few fans of Sam. He’s another one of these guys who looks better with Quinn.

No. He’s actually just never looked good.

He’s a mental midget, who got by on his physicals in college.

When he went against the best, his physicals weren’t enough. So he looked average.

Then you throw in is off field antics, his dumb penalties, and his apparent lack of wanting to play football other than for a paycheck. Yeah. He’s trash. Has been trash, and was yet another waste of a second rounder on a guy with character issues.

 

[Kwyn]

He was our highest rated edge. I only tracked post Quennin but here is the PFF scores for all the edges.

60 is average.

I think people get caught up in the echo chamber of this forum and memory is faulty. A single play or penalty somehow becomes ”always” and “never”. He had the additional weight of many fans making it personal because he smoked weed.

When we talk about not creating another hole to fill, dropping arguably your most consistent player at a position seems like a good place to start.

EDGE	LV	PHI	KC	DET	MIN	SD	WAS	NY	AVG
Williams	56	94	71	66	63	67	76	59	69
Clowney	63	60	46	DNP	80	60	83	79	67.2
Houston	68	61	84	34	59	67	61	80	64.2
Fowler	63	74	60	55	59	68	71	56	63.2
Ezeiuraku	69	64	78	61	51	72	54	30	59.8

 

[Kwyn]

No thank you. Him and Turpin should’ve been gone after that playoff victory after party.

This was the most overhyped thing ever.

They attended a live event, for which they were paid by a promoter. It’s not like they said “hey, we just whooped green bay! Come party at the club to celebrate!”

 

[Chocolate Lab]

He's a Jerry pet, so I wouldn't be surprised if they do bring him back despite never doing anything. Classic Jones Boys.

 

[charron]

Is paying sam 3 a year worth it? Maybe, could be worse. We do need depth. He was a better ST player under fassel. Not every guy needs to be a superstar. But I also think players like Williams will look better under this new staff as the defense as a whole will be better.

 

[Stash]

I defer to CP. if he thinks he can work with him and the deal is fair, bring him back.

That’s my thinking as well.

The only reason why I would bring him back is if Parker sees something in him and believes he can get more out of him.

 

[thunderpimp91]

He was our highest rated edge. I only tracked post Quennin but here is the PFF scores for all the edges.

60 is average.

I think people get caught up in the echo chamber of this forum and memory is faulty. A single play or penalty somehow becomes ”always” and “never”. He had the additional weight of many fans making it personal because he smoked weed.

When we talk about not creating another hole to fill, dropping arguably your most consistent player at a position seems like a good place to start.

EDGE	LV	PHI	KC	DET	MIN	SD	WAS	NY	AVG
Williams	56	94	71	66	63	67	76	59	69
Clowney	63	60	46	DNP	80	60	83	79	67.2
Houston	68	61	84	34	59	67	61	80	64.2
Fowler	63	74	60	55	59	68	71	56	63.2
Ezeiuraku	69	64	78	61	51	72	54	30	59.8

Thanks for the deep dive and putting that together. My main takeaway is that we really need edge help and can’t just run it back with this group.

I did notice a couple errors though, not a ton but for example you used Clowneys run d grade vs KC instead of the overall.

We also have to acknowledge that in all the games before QW came in Williams highest grade was a 58.

We also need to look at what changed. Williams snap counts started to go down and his play went up so it’s likely that a less is more approach is the best thing for Williams, which isn’t a bad thing for a player we are talking about paying $3m per year. Probably to most people’s surprise his value in the games you listed actually comes against the run. His pass rush grades remain pretty bad, mostly in the 50s. The more I look at his numbers and grades the more I start to ask what is Sam Williams? I think most would say he’s a rotational pass rusher which is what he seemed to do the worst in 2025.

His snap counts are also interesting. His PFF grades seemed to improve as Eberflus got him more on the LOS with his hand in the dirt. Early in the year Eberflus has more of a true split with about half Williams snaps standing as more of a 3-4 OLB role.

Just an odd year for Williams really where he was the total opposite of what he was under DQ.

 

[Kwyn]

I did notice a couple errors though, not a ton but for example you used Clowneys run d grade vs KC instead of the overall.

Thanks for the catch. I’ll go back and check and update my sheet for next time.

Appreciate the additional review of his play. I definitely don’t love Sam Williams. I just figure that we need depth and if he can provide that at a decent price, I wouldn’t be opposed.

Another player whose style changed was Tank. Before Micah he was always our best pass rusher and had some big sack totals. Later in his career he primarily became a run defender. Certainly Williams has mever been as good as Lawrence, but most fans were eager to to run Tank out of town until magically he does a D Ware turn and now they miss him.

 

[DuncanIso]

Very cheap depth signing is all.

We might be surprised at how much he earns as a FA.

He’s gone.

 

[jazzcat22]

You can’t fix stupid.

good point.

 

[Aven8]

That’s why we’re in this mess. High draft picks on D that don’t pan out

 

[phildadon86]

He was our highest rated edge. I only tracked post Quennin but here is the PFF scores for all the edges.

60 is average.

I think people get caught up in the echo chamber of this forum and memory is faulty. A single play or penalty somehow becomes ”always” and “never”. He had the additional weight of many fans making it personal because he smoked weed.

When we talk about not creating another hole to fill, dropping arguably your most consistent player at a position seems like a good place to start.

EDGE	LV	PHI	KC	DET	MIN	SD	WAS	NY	AVG
Williams	56	94	71	66	63	67	76	59	69
Clowney	63	60	46	DNP	80	60	83	79	67.2
Houston	68	61	84	34	59	67	61	80	64.2
Fowler	63	74	60	55	59	68	71	56	63.2
Ezeiuraku	69	64	78	61	51	72	54	30	59.8

Being the top rated edge on one of the worst pass rushing teams in the NFL isnt exactly cause for celebration.

This is the problem with the fans of the Cowboys. They think like Jerry and overvalue our talent.

How does his grade stack up on the Houston D?

 

[phildadon86]

That’s why we’re in this mess. High draft picks on D that don’t pan out

High draft picks that are RISKS is the reason they dont pan out my friend.

 

[Stash]

I’m one of the few fans of Sam. He’s another one of these guys who looks better with Quinn.

I agree. I think there could still be some untapped potential.

The physical ability is certainly there.

He was giving us 4.5 sacks a year in a rotation. It’s possible that he’s a better fit as a 3-4 rush end than he was as a 4-3 DE.

And I give everyone the benefit of the doubt when it comes to last year. Eberflus and his staff made every defensive player on the roster worse.

They’re all better just by the former coaches’ absence.

 

[jazzcat22]

That’s why we’re in this mess. High draft picks on D that don’t pan out

I believe they said they will focus on big school players this draft.
We will see if the really do that.

Instead of trying to find small school gems and injured players, claiming the got a bargain.

I don't believe they will stick to what they say. For anything.