FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys have agreed to terms with defensive end Sam Williams on a one-year deal to return to Dallas.
Williams, who will be 27 at the beginning of the 2026 season, was at the end of his rookie contract and now sticks with the Cowboys after playing in all 17 games for Dallas in 2025, starting five, and tallying 37 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and a sack.
After posting 14 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in his final season at Ole Miss, the Cowboys drafted Williams in the second round with the 56th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
In his first two seasons, Williams played in 32 games, tallying 8.5 career sacks and 15 tackles for loss, a promising start to his young career with plenty of room for growth still.
Then in training camp ahead of the 2024 season, Williams suffered a torn ACL and MCL, which ended his third season before it started and set him on the road for a long recovery before returning to the field.
When training camp came around ahead of the 2025 season, there was no one more excited to be back on the field than Williams, and he was lauded by his teammates and head coach Brian Schottenheimer for the hunger he displayed to get back on the grass.
Where Williams made some of his biggest impacts, however, was on special teams. Williams had a blocked field goal against the Lions and blocked a punt against the Cardinals, which bounced all the way into the end zone and was recovered by Marshawn Kneeland for a touchdown.
Williams is the second pass rusher the Cowboys have made a move on in the first day of legal tampering. Earlier Monday morning, Dallas agreed to terms on a trade with the Green Bay Packers for EDGE Rashan Gary in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
For more of the latest on the Cowboys' moves as free agency continues to ramp up, visit our 2026 Cowboys Free Agency Tracker.
