The Dallas Cowboys had a somewhat decent offensive output against a very good defensive team over the weekend, putting up 24 points on Sean Payton's Denver Broncos. Although that is certainly no small feat, the problem is that the Cowboys gave up a season-high 44 points to suffer their fourth loss of 2025.
That loss may have been a breaking point for first-year head coach Brian Schottenehimer. As reported by Jon Machota of The Athletic, Schottenheimer just put the roster on notice, and it seems like several guys won't take the field as often — if at all — going forward.
"There will be changes, Schottenheimer said, via Machota. "No one is pleased. No one is happy with the way we played (Sunday). It’s not acceptable. The standard was not met."
Schottenheimer's comments may have been a jab at multiple players, including defensive end Sam Williams.
Brian Schottenheimer's Warning is Bad News For Sam Williams
The young pass rusher was expected to take a big leap and help fill the void left by Micah Parsons' departure, but so far, that hasn't been the case at all.
Of course, one could cut him some slack because he's coming off a major knee injury and has shown some signs of promise in the past. But after watching the way Williams has struggled this season, it's starting to feel like it's just never going to happen for him.
Williams is coming off playing a season-low 17 defensive snaps in the road loss to the Broncos, and it was almost as if he didn't play. He finished the game with one combined tackle and one tackle for a loss. The 26-year-old had a 41.6 overall Pro Football Focus grade in the loss, along with a 53.2 pass rush grade.
The former second-round pick entered the season as a strong candidate to get a contract extension, and given Williams' age and how he had performed before his injury, it seemed like an easy decision to make. Fortunately, owner/general managerJerry Jones dodged that bullet, and he's entering the final year of his contract, meaning Dallas can wash its hands soon.
Through the first eight weeks of the season, Williams has logged 15 tackles, 17 pressures, one tackle for loss, and one sack. His trade value might not be particularly high right now, so it's highly unlikely that he will be moved before the Nov. 4 trade deadline.
Then again, even if he stays in Dallas, there's no reason to get him back on the field unless there's a major string of injuries. If anything, the Cowboys should roll with rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku or Marshawn Kneeland instead, as Williams has given the team every reason to move on through eight weeks.