A big year lies ahead for the former second-round pick.
All eyes will soon be on a Dallas Cowboys defense that needs its offseason moves to bring immediate results in 2026 for a postseason berth to be realistic.
Among those new faces is the pair of first-round draft picks: safety Caleb Downs and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence.
There are returners, too, who have flashed good things, but most of them need to prove consistency to foster long-term confidence.
Pass-rusher Sam Williams is arguably the player facing that reality more than anyone.
Williams re-signed with Dallas on a one-year "prove it" deal of $2.5 million. He was once a second-round pick who oozed promise, but a brutal knee injury stalled his production after two solid seasons to begin his career.
Now with his future depending on this season, Williams enters what could be an uncomfortable spot to contribute as so many newcomers emerge in the lineup for new coordinator Christian Parker.
The Cowboys drafted defensive end Sam Williams in 2022 with the hope of placing him opposite of Micah Parsons to set up a future filled with speed off the edge and a powerful pass rush being the foundation of the defense.
That vision, of course, has since changed, due in part to Parsons' trade ahead of the 2025 season and also because of Williams' slow emergence into the premier building block the Cowboys envisioned him as.
A collection of off-the-field issues and the devastating preseason injury have contributed to that vision blurring. So too, unfortunately, has Williams' recent production.
His snap count last season - appearing in just 30 percent of defensive snaps and finishing the year with just one sack - still leaves a lot to be desired. He's averaged less than 30 tackles over his three seasons fully healthy.
With a first-rounder in Lawrence and a trade addition in former Green Bay Packer Rashan Gary (who's capable of 10+ sacks this season) in the fold, Williams could be losing his opportunities to perform quickly.
Parker's system, however, is continuing to breed the Ole Miss product's optimism, along with the motivation and urgency that comes with playing on an expiring contract.
"He ain't come to play around like he straightforward of what he wanted, and he didn't ask any questions,” Williams said about Parker. "He just told us literally what he wanted, and that's what he's going to be."
"It motivates me a lot," the 27-year-old pass rusher added about his contract future. "I just stay in the moment, though. Of course, enjoying the process. ... I'm learning a lot from new coaches, just taking one day at a time."
A glass-half-full perspective sees how Williams can thrive in Parker's defense, where the young coach is installing a multiple attack that uses Williams' physicality and athleticism in various spots on the field. He could turn into more of a traditional outside linebacker than the defensive end he's been in the past here, so surely he can produce in one of those spots he's put in.
The contrary belief is that he's on the outside looking in, which is a pressure-packed hole that can be difficult to climb out of.
Second-year pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku came on late last season after he was a steal in the 2025 draft the team is happy about. James Houston, an undrafted free agent, was also arguably Dallas' most consistent pass-rush threat and is back for another year. With Gary and Lawrence, the available snaps start to dwindle.
My pick is that Sam will have more opportunities to cut out the thinking that's often tasked with defensive line alignments. Stand him up on the edge and cut him loose. That's where I believe Williams will be at his best, and that could easily be an area he rotates to under Parker.
If his body holds up and that positioning leads to production, Williams can assert himself as the building-block piece of this young defense that the Cowboys hoped he'd become all along.
