The Dallas Cowboys – along with all the other teams in the NFL this Sunday – announced their final 53-man rosters for the regular season.
And one player who will not be present on the team; at least for the moment; is former second round draft pick Sam Williams.
Williams, according to a report from ESPN’s Todd Archer, has been cut from the team
Sources: The Cowboys have released veteran edge rusher Sam Williams, who signed a one-year deal with $2 million guaranteed in March. Von Miller addition took away an edge rusher spot on the 53.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) August 30, 2026
“Sources: The Cowboys have released veteran edge rusher Sam Williams, who signed a one-year deal with $2 million guaranteed in March. Von Miller addition took away an edge rusher spot on the 53.” Archer wrote on X on Sunday.
Edge Rusher Sam Williams Cut From the Dallas CowboysDespite initially coming into the league as a borderline first-round talent back in 2022, Williams never quite managed to put everything together.
He managed a fairly encouraging 8.5 sacks over the course of his first two years in the NFL, but an ACL tear in training camp ended his 2024 season prematurely. The former Ole Miss product was also handed a three-game suspension in the wake of him receiving a reckless driving charge back in 2023.
Although there was a large gap to fill in the 2025 season at edge rusher sans Parsons and subsequently with the tragic and unexpected death of 2024 second round edge rusher Marshawn Kneeland, Williams did not step up to the plate, recording just 1 sack in 17 games and 5 starts on the year.
The Cowboys Have Surprisingly Impressive Depth on the EdgeSneakily, the Cowboys have one of the deeper edge rushing corps in the entire NFL.
Whilst there is no one player present in the group who stacks up to the quality of Micah Parsons, who departed the franchise just over a year ago, the team have attempted to re-create his production in the aggregate.
The Cowboys traded for Packers Pro Bowl edge Rashan Gary earlier this offseason before adding rookie Malachi Lawrence out of UCF in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Dallas also acquired the services of veteran ex-Super Bowl MVP Von Miller earlier this month – who despite having turned 37 back in March posted a 9-sack season for the Washington Commanders last season.
The Cowboys also have 2025 second rounder Donovan Ezeiruaku, who is set to play a major role in the passing rotation alongside Gary, Lawrence and Miller.
In place of Williams, the team kept pass-rush specialist James Houston and former 2023 undrafted free agent Tyrus Wheat, who returned to the franchise this past offseason after having spent 2025 with the Detroit Lions, where he played in 15 games and logged 15 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 1 tackle-for-loss.
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