FRISCO, Texas – On March 9, the NFL's legal tampering period will begin for pending free agents.
The Cowboys will have their fair share of free agents on the roster, which of course they can agree to terms with and sign at any time before that period.
From unrestricted free agents to restricted and exclusive rights free agents, Dallas has a lot of decisions to make over the next month when it comes to how they want to construct their roster for 2026, and even beyond.
With that, we'll examine each pending free agent on the Cowboys' current roster, continuing today with unrestricted free agent Sam Williams.
How He Got Here
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.
What He Did in 2025
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.
Williams would go on to play in all 17 games for Dallas, starting five, and finished with 37 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and a sack.
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.
Why He Could Stay
The only two defensive ends the Cowboys currently have under contract in 2026 are Donovan Ezeiruaku and James Houston. Obviously, Dallas will need to add to that room in free agency and potentially through the draft as well.
Williams presents a depth option that may not command as much in free agency, but gives the Cowboys a larger player on the edge at 6'4, 261 who took steps in the right direction playing the run in 2025.
Why He Could Leave
It depends on what Dallas elects to do at the position the rest of the offseason, but one option is certainly the Cowboys looking to bring in more proven pass rushers in free agency. Another is using one of their two first round picks on a defensive end. They could also very well do both.
In that case, there may not be as large of a role for Williams in the defense as there has been in the past, meaning he could test the waters in free agency and look to go elsewhere for more playing time.
