DALLAS — Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport named Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Sam Williams one of six players around the NFL who could be cut before Sunday’s roster deadline.
Williams was the only Cowboys player on the list. Davenport also named Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson, Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis, Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Kristian Fulton, and New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Davenport wrote that Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malachi Lawrence, and Von Miller appear to be locks for the 53-man roster, and that one or two spots are left for Williams, Marist Liufau, and James Houston. He listed Liufau as a core special teams contributor.
Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News kept Williams and Houston on his fourth 53-man roster projection of the summer, published the same morning, and cut Liufau.
Sam Williams’ Contract And 2025 Season
Dallas re-signed Williams in March on a one-year deal worth $3 million, with $1.4 million guaranteed for 2026. The Cowboys drafted him 56th overall out of Ole Miss in 2022. He tore an ACL in training camp in 2024 and missed the season.
Williams played all 17 games last year and started five. He finished with 37 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sacks. His 474 defensive snaps were a career high and accounted for 43% of the total.
He had 4.0 sacks in 15 games as a rookie and finished fifth in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He added 4.5 sacks in 2023. Williams has 9.5 sacks, 85 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, and 20 quarterback hits in 49 career games.
His special teams role shrank last season. Williams played 143 special teams snaps, 30% of the total, after playing 299 snaps and 68% in 2023.
Sam Williams In Christian Parker’s Defense
Williams moved from defensive end to outside linebacker this offseason in first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker‘s 3-4 defense. He spoke with reporters after practice in Oxnard, California, on Aug. 6, in an availability reported by KLTV’s Kyle Owens. Williams said the scheme is the one he started in at Ole Miss, where he was successful.
“I took all the reports, all the negative comments, everything,” Williams said. “And I took it in and I looked at myself in the mirror because you can’t get better unless you know what you’re doing wrong. So everything that I’ve seen, I try to fix. Like even in my room, it’s written on the mirror.”
“At the end of the day, I just took all the negatives and, you know, look myself in the mirror,” Williams continued. “Not blaming no one else and just work. Just work, work, work. Put my head down and let my work speak for itself.”
The Dallas Cowboys Edge Rusher Room
Miller signed a one-year contract worth $5.5 million on Aug. 17, with a maximum value of $7.5 million, and Dallas waived receiver Traeshon Holden the same day to open the roster spot. He is entering his 15th NFL season and had 9 sacks for the Washington Commanders last year. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer called him invaluable to the young players in the room last week in Oxnard.
Ezeiruaku ranked second on the Cowboys in pressures last season with 26 in 17 games and nine starts. Houston finished last season with 5.5 sacks, second on the team, and has 14.5 sacks in his career. Lawrence was the 23rd overall pick in April out of UCF and made 3 tackles on 17 snaps in his preseason debut against the Seattle Seahawks.
Dallas drafted Liufau 87th overall in 2024 out of Notre Dame and moved him to outside linebacker this offseason. He took 202 defensive snaps last season and played 74.59% of the special teams snaps. Tyrus Wheat and Isaiah Land are also in the outside linebacker room.
The Cowboys allowed 511 points last season, the most in the NFL, and finished last in passing yards allowed at 251.5 per game.
Roster Deadline And The Preseason Finale
Dallas must cut from 91 to 53 by 5 p.m. CT on Sunday, Aug. 30, and submit waiver claims by noon CT the next day.
The Cowboys close the preseason against the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium on Friday, with kickoff at 7 p.m. CT on CBS. Week 1 is Sept. 13 at MetLife Stadium against the Giants, with kickoff at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
