The Cowboys have a host of free agents set to hit the market in the coming weeks, but should they let one explore his options?
One thing we know about Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer over the past 18 months is that he has put a lot of effort into making his vision a reality.
Now, as we enter Schottenheimer's second offseason, we are about to see how ruthless he is going to be when it comes to who stays and who doesn't.
With several key free agents like Jadeveon Clowney, Brandon Aubrey, George Pickens, Dante Fowler Jr., and Jalen Tolbert, there are some big decisions the front office has to make.
But there is one player who will be a fascinating watch over the coming weeks, and that's EDGE Sam Williams.
Known for making splash plays but also for bone-headed, costly ones, with his penalties killing the defense, Sam's future in Dallas is far from certain.
Yes, he was coming off an ACL injury last year, playing all 17 games (starting just five) in Matt Eberflus' defense and registering just one sack.
So, Williams is a pending free agent, so what should Dallas do?
Our Mike Fisher has predicted that the "controversy'' that often seems to surround Sam makes "the juice not worth the squeeze'' and that he's "very, very low'' on Dallas' priority list.
And ESPN's Aaron Schatz thinks Sam is due a change of scenery, too.
"Williams had 8.5 combined sacks in his first two seasons without starting any games," Schatz wrote. "However, he missed the entire 2024 campaign with a torn left ACL. Last season, he started five games and had one sack and 37 total tackles. By the end of 2025, Williams was playing about only 30% of the defensive snaps in each game.
"Williams probably could use a fresh start to help him reach the potential he showed as a second-round pick out of Ole Miss in 2022. He'll be a free agent this offseason."
I'm not sure how Cowboys fans would feel about Williams moving on, but there is also a reason why Dallas might keep him around.
And that's his value.
Spotrac.com has Sam's market value at just $2.3 million APY.
Would the Cowboys be willing to bring back Williams for that price?
Or has the time come, after three seasons of production (take out 2024 due to ACL), to move on and let Christian Parker build the defense he wants?
So yes, there are a host of key decisions the franchise has to make this offseason, and Williams looms as a most intriguing one. ... with that "juice and squeeze'' worth monitoring.