Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams gestures at training camp at the River Ridge Fields. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Cowboys' Sam Williams 'hungry' for greatness following Micah Parsons trade

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Randy Gurzi | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 6:21 PM ET

The Dallas Cowboys sent shockwaves through the NFL world when they traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.

Time will tell if they made the right call, but one of the deciding factors for Dallas will be the performance of the players who replace their superstar pass rusher.

One such player is Sam Williams, who is entering his fourth season in the league.

A second-round pick from Ole Miss in 2022, Williams had 8.5 sacks in 2022 and 2023 before missing the 2024 season due to a torn ACL. Now back following surgery to repair a torn ACL, Williams was asked about his expanding role in the wake of the Parsons move, and he said he was "hungry" to become great.

“I’m very hungry, but at the same time, I’m patient, you know, I like, you know, we got, what, two, three more days before we play. So, at the end of the day, I just got to keep trusting my process, be where my feet are at, and I don’t want to get too excited, because that’s when Sam start making penalties and jumping [offsides] and all that stuff. I just want to be, man, I just want to be great, man," Williams said.

"It’s me versus me this year, you know? I don’t look at anybody else. I just look at the man in front of me and I gotta beat them.”

Williams is an athletic marvel who ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine. That's an impressive time for anyone, but even more shocking when you consider he boasts a 6-foot-4, 261-pound frame.

As he alluded to, however, Williams has had issues with penalties throughout his career. If he can clean that up and allow his athleticism to shine, he could become a fixture on the Cowboys' defensive line.