The Dallas Cowboys have focused on the defensive side of the ball through free agency. With defensive coordinator Christian Parker now running the show, there are expected to be improvements on a unit that really struggled in 2025.
Pass rush has been an area of focus for this team, and that shows how the team feels about their current collection of players along the edge. And for defensive end Sam Williams, who re-signed with the team on March 9, he may be regretting his decision one month later.
Sam Williams Could Be Second Guessing Choice to Re-Sign with Cowboys
He came back on a one-year, $2.5 million deal, which is slightly more than a veteran minimum contract. Williams has been in Dallas over the last four years after being drafted with the 56th pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Although he was drafted high and expected to be an impact player, things haven't gone to plan.
In 49 career games (five starts), he's finished with 85 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and four fumble recoveries. While showing real flashes in 2022 and 2023, things took a turn in 2024 when he tore his ACL and MCL. That forced him to miss that whole year. He returned for the 2025 season but logged career lows in QB hits (4) and sacks (1). The tough part is that he did this while playing the most career defensive snaps (474).
That likely won't be the case next season, especially with how open the team is making it known they want to improve there.
Dallas was very interested in acquiring Las Vegas edge Maxx Crosby. So much so that they made three different offers. Per John Breech of CBS Sports, the first offer was a 2026 first-round pick (20th overall) and DT Osa Odighizuwa to Las Vegas for Crosby. The second one was a 2026 first-round pick (12th overall) and a 2027 third-round pick for Crosby. And the final offer came in at a 2026 first-round pick (20th overall) and a 2027 second-round pick to Las Vegas.
While they weren't able to get this across the finish line, the noise around edge help hasn't slowed down. NFL draft analyst Todd McShay floated rumors that have circulated the Cowboys trading with the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 3 overall pick so they could draft Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey.
The Athletic's Bruce Feldman continued with the rumors, mocking a trade where Dallas sent the 12th and 92nd overall picks to the Cardinals for No. 3 to take Bailey. Whether this happens remains to be seen, but typically when there's smoke, there's fire. And in this scenario, the Cowboys desperately want to improve their pass rush. If that's through a trade or with a draft pick, they will add to that room.
ESPN's Peter Schrager released his first mock draft and expressed it's "what I'm hearing, rather than what I would personally do at each slot." And considering that he's a well-sourced insider around the league, it's telling, and he had Dallas drafting Akheem Mesidor from Miami with the 20th overall pick.
The Cowboys are letting people around the league know they want more help at pass rush, and that doesn't bode well for Williams. He'll have more competition added in the near future, making it harder for Williams to get on the field.
He could have headed elsewhere to get a better shot at an extended role. Instead, he came back to Dallas, but his pathway to getting more playing time looks like it's going to take a hit.