Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Sam Williams had a chance to leave last offseason, but he chose to stay, signing a one-year deal.
Now that decision might be costing him.
The Cowboys have built such a deep edge-rushing group that the former 2022 second-round pick now finds himself buried in the depth chart as he’s trying to bounce back from a quiet 2025 season.
According to Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, the Chicago Bears represent one of the best potential landing spots for Williams if Dallas ever looks to move on from him. With a clear need for edge depth, Chicago could offer the pass rusher exactly what he’s missing in Dallas: an opportunity to show his talent.
Why the Bears Make Sense for Sam Williams
Sam Williams entered the league with real promise, racking up 8.5 sacks combined across his first two seasons in Dallas behind Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. The talent is there; he just needs more opportunitites to show it.
He looked like a rotational piece who could develop into a full-time starter. Then a torn ACL and MCL in 2024 slowed his momentum, and a quiet 2025 season did little to reestablish himself as a priority player in the Cowboys’ plans.
The math in Dallas has only gotten more difficult since then. Rising star Donovan Ezeiruaku is poised for a breakout season, and the Cowboys traded for veteran pass rusher Rashan Gary to bolster the rotation even more.
On top of that, Dallas used both a first-round pick on Malachi Lawrence and a third-round pick on Jaishawn Barham, adding two more bodies competing for snaps at the same position.
The Bears, meanwhile, are in a very different spot. Chicago’s edge room is shaky after projected starters Montez Sweat and Austin Booker, and the Bears were 31st in pass rush win rate (29%) and 26th in run stop win rate (29%) in 2025, according to ESPN’s metrics.
If there’s an opportunity to make a low-risk, high-reward move for a player like Williams, who also wouldn’t command a big-ticket contract given his recent injury history and diminished role in Dallas, general manager Ryan Poles should at the very least look into it.
Not to mention Williams also fits what Bears’ defensive coordinator Dennis Allen likes in a pass rusher with a big 6’4″, 260-pound frame.
Bears Sticking to What They Have?
GettyLAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 17: Sam Williams #54 of the Dallas Cowboys looks on during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on November 17, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
It’ll make even more sense to go after Sam Williams if the Bears suffer an unfortunate injury in the pass rush department during the preseason, but for now, Chicago will likely roll with what they already have in the building.
“We’re certainly going to coach better than what we did a year ago,” head coach Ben Johnson said regarding the Bears’ pass rush. “It starts there. We’ve made a concerted effort with how we’re going to get that done. We were excited about the guys that ended up finishing the season on IR, the trajectory that they were on, both Dayo [Odeyingbo] and Shemar [Turner]. When you look at it from the start of the season to the point where they both got injured, we saw growth and we saw them trending the right direction in terms of what we want to see on game day.”
Ryan Poles also made some comments on the pass rush group back in late April, saying, “We feel good about those guys. What that group is and what they’re becoming, and we feel like there is some developmental upside and, like I said, with Year 2 in the system, we should be able to take the next step.”
Whatever the case may be, keep an eye on Williams as a potential trade option for the Bears in 2026.
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