A knee injury kept Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams from playing during the 2024 NFL season. In updating the former Alabama high school standout’s recovery from the injury, Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer offered an observation about another body part as well.
“Biceps look huge,” Schottenheimer said during a press conference last week. “He’s doing great. I think (Cowboys director of rehabilitation Britt Brown) does an incredible job with all those guys, the guys that are rehabbing.
“He looks great. Again, no timetable, but you guys see him moving and the size and the speed and the athleticism. I run down there and check on those guys a lot just to see how they’re doing.”
A second-round draft choice from Ole Miss in 2022, Williams played in 32 regular-season games and three postseason games in his first two NFL seasons. He had 48 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in regular-season play. He had 576 defensive snaps and 544 special-teams plays in his 32 games.
During a special-teams drill at an unpadded practice at training camp, Williams suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee on July 28.
A high school standout at Lee-Montgomery (now Percy Julian), Williams had been pointed toward a bigger role in 2024 after the Cowboys lost defensive ends Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler last offseason.
Williams will return in 2025 needing to re-establish himself. Dallas still has Micah Parsons, who had 52.5 sacks in his four seasons. The Cowboys have Fowler again, too. After Fowler rang up 10.5 sacks for the Washington Commanders in 2024, Dallas got him back as a free agent this offseason. The Cowboys also have 2024 second-rounder Marshawn Kneeland returning and added Donovan Ezeiruaku in the second round in April at defensive end.
Dallas is concluding its offseason program this week with mandatory minicamp scheduled for Tuesday through Thursday. After their summer break, the Cowboys will hold training camp in Oxnard, California.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.