Cowboys DE Shockingly Named Among Most Improved Players During 2025 Season

Even without Micah Parsons, the Dallas Cowboys had high hopes for their defensive ends in 2025.

Dante Fowler Jr. was coming off a 10.5 sack campaign with the Washington Commanders and rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku entered the league with plenty of potential. There was also Sam Williams, a second-round pick in 2022 who missed the 2024 season with a torn ACL.

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Prior to his injury, Williams had displayed promise with 8.5 sacks in two seasons. Dallas hoped he would return to full health and pick up where he left off.

While his start to the season was slow, Williams improved as the year went on. Still, it’s surprising to see PFF’s Thomas Valentine name Williams the most-improved defensive end in the NFL during the second half of the season.

”Williams was ineffective early on with a 39.9 PFF grade — 117th out of 118 edge defenders — but he hit a purple patch after the halfway mark. From Week 10 onward, Williams earned an 80.6 PFF grade, the 11th-best among edge defenders,” Valentine wrote.

“Williams recorded just nine pressures in eight games, but also accrued 10 stops and forced a fumble. His 74.7 PFF run-defense grade was also 13th at the position, and no one had a more improved grade in the second half of the season than Williams.”

Will Sam Williams return to the Cowboys in 2026?

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams looks on during the game between the Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Williams, who is set for free agency, finished the season with 37 tackles and just one sack. While the sack numbers weren’t what he expected, the real impressive feat is his performance against the run.

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Entering the season, Williams was seen as an explosive pass rusher, but hadn’t shown much against the run. His improvement there could be enough to convince the Cowboys to bring him back on a one-year deal to see if he can be more effective now that he’s got a full season between him and the knee injury.

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