Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams entered the 2023 NFL Lseason aiming for a breakout year. It was no secret, as his name consistently came up as one of the top candidates to make a huge second-year jump.
After a rookie year of limited playing time but top-notch production, it was only fair. In his first year, he was buried in the depth chart behind Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence but also behind Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler. This year, he'd play more, we thought.
That hasn't quite gone his way. Through six games, Williams has played 29% of the defensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference. Armstrong ranks higher at 37% and Fowler trails him at 27%.
Williams took to Twitter/X to seemingly voice his frustration in a since-deleted post that was easy to interpret as a message to the coaching staff. Originally, he tweeted a picture of a dog in a cage with the caption "Free me."
After he deleted it, the internet did its thing and screenshots of the message immediately appeared online.
Michael Bier posted a picture of the tweet with the caption "Not sure what's going on here." Williams quoted the post and replied, "It's so simple to understand tho."
Well, that doesn't sound ideal. To further confirm playing time frustrations are what the post is about, Williams liked multiple replies encouraging him with messages such as "Your time will be here."
To be fair, Williams hasn't done much even when he has taken the field. Both Fowler and Armstrong have recorded more pressures than him and a higher pass rush win rate, per Pro Football Focus.
That is not to say Williams' upside isn't there anymore. Of course it is, he's an explosive athlete who can develop into a true weapon for Dan Quinn's defense. If given the chance, he'd likely wreak some havoc against opposing offenses once he gets going.
But the Cowboys aren't ready to bump him up in the rotation as soon as fans and media thought they would.
For now, the coaching staff will need to manage Williams' frustration before it evolves into a bigger issue. No. 54 wants more time on the field. Perhaps if he gets it, he can take that next step. But he also needs to earn it.
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