Sam Williams had a strong showing in his rookie season as a Cowboys defensive end. He was in on 22 tackles and logged 10 TFLs, nine quarterback hits, four sacks, a forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries- all despite taking a relatively low number of defensive snaps.
The highlight of the year for the Ole Miss product was likely his celebration during Week 13’s beatdown of the Colts, when the 6-foot-4-inch, 260-pounder laid a recovered fumble over the goalpost crossbar in a remarkable display of some serious hops.
The 24-year-old now has an even bigger leap in mind for 2023.
“I need ten sacks,” Williams said recently, per the team’s website. “Ten sacks will open up a lot of opportunities for me. Obviously the team goal is to win a championship, but my personal goal and what I’m working towards is getting better with my hands, and I need ten sacks.”
To that end, the second-round draft pick has been seeking out some one-on-one mentoring from the guy who bagged 13 passes in his first NFL season in 2021.
Micah Parsons was spotted giving Williams a handwork lesson off to the side during last week’s OTA sessions.
“I want Sam to make a huge jump,” Parsons explained to reporters.
“He’s like, ‘I want 10 sacks.’ I want to be up there with you.’ I’m like, ‘Then get 10 sacks. I’m not stopping you from getting 10 sacks. The only person that can is you.’ So I’m just teaching him to get into that mindset.”
Williams never saw more than 27 defensive snaps in any of his 15 appearances as a rookie, splitting time at the position with DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler, Chauncey Golston, the now-departed Carlos Watkins, and even the incomparable Parsons. This offseason, fourth-rounder Junior Fehoko has been added to the mix, along with touted UDFAs Durrell Johnson and Tyrus Wheat.
“Everyday is a new opportunity for me,” Williams said. “Knock on wood, but if a man goes down, I’m next up. If I outplay somebody, then maybe I’m starting. Everyday is an opportunity to show that I deserve to be on the field. I need and want to be on the field.”
The second-year Alabama native will clearly have to soar to even greater heights just to get himself in the huddle, but Williams is “ddefinitely making that jump,” according to head coach Mike McCarthy.
“You know, Sam really came on for us,” McCarthy told media members last week. “The more opportunities he was given in his rookie year, the more productive he was. You can see his comfort in what we’re asking him to do and the ability to schematically move around in some of the things the defensive staff is doing. I’ve been impressed with Sam so far for the first three installations.”
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Williams appears to be learning the Xs and Os to the coaching staff’s satisfaction. But he’s also picking up the mental part of the game from one of the league’s most dominant superstars.
“I kind of know how badly he wants it,” Parsons smiled. “He’s like, ‘Last year, I was studying. I’m trying to play as much as I can.’ I said, ‘Take the job, then. Nobody’s stopping you from your success.’ … ‘You’ve got to be great for yourself. I can’t tell you. Take the job, take my job, take Law’s job. At the end of the day, it’s business.’”
And if business ends up going well for Williams this fall, then look for the Cowboys as a whole to perhaps make a big jump of their own.
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Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire