The Dallas Cowboys made the somewhat surprising decision to cut former second round draft pick Sam Williams on cut-down day last Sunday.
Despite retaining six outside linebackers in their new 3-4 base scheme, the team moved off of Williams in lieu of pass rush specialist and former sixth round pick James Houston, along with ex-2023 UDFA Tyrus Wheat, who spent his first two seasons in the league before joining the Detroit Lions in 2025 and returning this past offseason.
Now, in the wake of his release, reports have surfaced that Williams has found a new home in the NFL. The 27-year old will join the Cleveland Browns, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Sam Williams Expected to Sign With the Browns
“The Browns plan to sign free agent pass rusher Sam Williams to the active roster, per sources.” Fowler reported on Tuesday.
Cleveland’s depth at edge rusher is far thinner than that of the Cowboys’. Prior to the expected signing of Williams, the Browns carried just three players at defensive end in their 4-3 defensive scheme: Pro Bowler Jared Verse, Isaiah McGuire and Derek Barnett, the latter of whom has started just 9 games over the past four years after being a first round pick for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017.
Williams will likely compete with Barnett for the first choice backup slot behind McGuire and Verse, and if the roster composition in Cleveland stays similar, the former second round draft pick should see a decent amount of action if he remains healthy and on-form.
Did the Cowboys Make the Right Decision Cutting Williams?
Roster configurations are never easy to pull off and often require difficult and tight decisions, especially when it comes to the borderline roster players.
With the Cowboys, the depth at OLB is arguably the best in the league, with the team boasting three first round picks and other proven contributors at the position.
It was always going to be difficult for Williams even make his way onto the 48-man game-day squad, given that he was listed amongst the third stringers at the position during camp, and that teams seldom carry more than 4-5 edge rushers for any given game.
But Williams did have a strong training camp early on, with some reports describing his play as “dominant” at times during the first week.
Brian Schottenheimer said on Monday that Williams’ release was down to a “numbers” game, rather than anything the Ole Miss man did or did not do.
“So there’s nothing that Sam didn’t do. I thought Sam played. And I thought he played awesome against New Orleans. But when you make these decisions, you’ve got to be very smart and careful that you don’t overvalue the last preseason game. It’s part of the process. It’s part of all the joints and the training camp practices and then the special teams.” Schottenheimer said to the media.
Williams came into the league with substantial talent, many arguing that he was a first round pick based strictly off of that rubric. But his output since arriving in Dallas has been modest, generating 10.5 sacks in three seasons of play, none of which saw him hit the 5-sack mark.
The decision can only be judged based on what the Alabama native does in Cleveland this season, relative to how the Cowboys’ pass rush as a whole performs on the year.
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