The NFL offseason is notoriously a time for hype. Optimism reigns supreme as teams turn the page on the failures of the previous season and build a plan to do better in the upcoming campaign. New players are added, and young players develop.
The Cowboys had a few new and and a few returning players getting their fair share of hype over the past offseason, but no player seemed to universally garner more of that hype than second-year edge Sam Williams. Five games into 2023, the hype has not been realized.
Williams, a second-round pick out of Mississippi, hit the ground running as a pro. Handpicked by Dan Quinn, Williams made an instant impact as a developmental pass rusher. Despite sharing an EDGE rotation with the likes of Micah Parsons, Dorance Armstrong, DeMarcus Lawrence and Dante Fowler, Williams managed to collect four sacks and 11 pressures in his rookie season.
Averaging one pressure every 25 snaps wasn’t Parsons’ territory but it was impressive given how raw the young defensive end was as a pro.
Cowboys rookie DE Sam Williams is still nowhere near his developmental ceiling, and that is what excites team most. His 14 defensive snaps in Sunday's win over Lions included his first two career NFL sacks with a body slam (no penalty) in between. pic.twitter.com/ilZevnzBAu
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 24, 2022
Blessed with natural burst, speed, and strength, Williams was a breakout player to watch in 2023. Even with the return of the others, Williams was in position to get great opportunities in Quinn’s rotation in 2023.
With the exception of Parsons, Williams had arguably the biggest upside amongst the bunch. And signed through the 2025 season, he was also under team control the longest.
Lawrence is only signed through 2024 and both Fowler and Armstrong will be free agents after this season. To put it bluntly, the Cowboys had every reason to give Williams extra opportunities and groom him for bigger and better.
2023 has not unfolded as many would have imagined. In 99 defensive snaps, Williams has only logged one sack and six pressures. With one pressure every 17 snaps, his pressure rate has improved over last season, but it’s not quite the breakout many were expecting from the 24-year-old defensive end.
Perhaps more concerning is he has only logged one pressure since Week 2 and has consistently scored poor grades, ranking 83 out of 114 graded players by PFF.
While there may be some disappointment in Williams’ season thus far, it’s important to point out he is still young and improving. Playing alongside Parsons and Lawrence is always going to cap his opportunities, but that could be seen as a blessing in disguise.
Within a rotation, Williams can dedicate himself to quality of snaps over quantity. He’s splitting snaps fairly evenly with Fowler and Armstrong, so he’s not buried or out of disfavor. He’s an equal. At this point in the season, it’s too early to issue judgement.
Williams hasn’t broken out this season, but he’s clearly improving. He’s on pace for more snaps in 2023 and to nearly double his number of pressures. There are plenty of things to be disappointed about in 2023 but Williams shouldn’t be one of them. Even if he hasn’t officially broken out yet.
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