The Cleveland Browns made a tweak here and there after the initial 53-man roster was decided and approved.
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Then came the arduous creation of this year’s practice squad, which is composed of 16 players, plus one if the athlete has any international distinction.
CB Michael Coats, Jr. was impressive in training camp, made the final cut, was waived, then signed to the practice squad. DT Kalia Davis also found IR his new home with a quad issue.
With these
recent transactions, roster holes were created. GM Andrew Berry then signed DE Sam Williams and CB Noah Igbinoghene to replace the Coats and Davis.
This year’s defensive front has possible issues creating a good pass rusher opposite EDGE rusher Jared Verse. Williams was signed to assist in this area.
But who is Williams? What does he offer the Browns?
Beginnings
Williams grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, and attended Robert E. Lee High School after transferring from Marbury High School in Deatsville, Alabama.
Football was always a part of Williams’ life. As a kid about six years old, he would stand in the backyard and throw the football over the house, then race around to the front yard and try to catch the pass. But at the age of seven years old, Williams and his siblings were taken from their mother and placed in the care of his grandparents. Later, an aunt would raise the children.
They lived in Montgomery while their mother, TaTanisha Williams, lived and worked in Birmingham, just 90 miles away. Her work schedule included 12-hour shifts, so she never made the journey to Montgomery to see her son play defensive end on Friday nights.
Williams had plenty of interest from colleges, but his grades weren’t up to par. So, he accepted an invitation to compete on the football team with Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville.
By the time his sophomore year rolled around, Williams was a bona fide star player at this level. In that season alone, he had 75 total tackles, 17.5 sacks, 28.5 tackles for loss, 4 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery in just nine games. Williams earned First Team NJCAA All-American Honors and was voted MACJC “Defensive Lineman of the Year.”
The distance from Birmingham to Booneville is two hours and 42 minutes.
He had offers from Oregon, Texas A&M, Old Dominion, Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Southern Miss, LSU, and Florida State. He committed to Ole Miss on June 21, 2018.
Ole Miss played a 3-4 on defense, and yet Williams was able to get a consistent pass rusher despite the extra blocker. In Week 2 of the 2019 season, his mother traveled to Oxford, Mississippi, and watched her son’s team prevail 31-17 over Arkansas. Williams had two tackles, one sack, and 1.5 tackles for loss.
By the time his Ole Miss career had concluded, Williams had 134 total tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 pass defense, 6 forced fumbles, 20.5 sacks, 16 pressures, 1 scoop-and-score, and 1 fumble recovery with a 40 time of 4.46. He was named First Team All-SEC and Third Team All-American.
During his senior year, he was arrested for felony sexual battery, but later the charges were dropped.
On to the NFL
The Dallas Cowboys selected Williams (6’-4”, 260 pounds) in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. His rookie deal was for four years, worth $6.53 million, and a signing bonus of $2.998 million, with the same amount guaranteed. As a rookie, he placed sixth in the voting for the “NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year” award.
He missed all of 2024 with a torn ACL and a partial tear of his MCL. This all occurred in training camp, and he spent the season on IR doing rehab.
For the other three seasons in Dallas, he had 85 total tackles (with a high of 37 in 2025), 9.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss, 20 QB hits, 4 fumble recoveries, three batted passes, 1 forced fumble, 15 hurries, 11 knockdowns, 36 pressures, and 8 missed tackles.
Last year he had just one sack, and coming into 2026 he inked a one-year deal worth $2.5 million following the expiration of his 4-year rookie contract. Going into training camp this July, he was almost giddy with excitement to get back on the field and start practicing. He displayed a hunger and got weekly praise from the coaching staff. They played him quite a bit on special teams, and he had a blocked punt against the Detroit Lions.
In the preseason games, he was ranked #2 against the New Orleans Saints with six total tackles and one sack. Against the Arizona Cardinals, Williams had one sack, one tackle for loss, and four total tackles. In the opening contest versus the Seattle Seahawks, he had just two tackles.
At the end of this year’s training camp, he was released on the final cutdown. Two days later, Berry signed Williams.
What should Browns fans expect from Williams?
When DE Alex Wright was lost for the season after he suffered a torn Achilles, there was an immediate need, obviously. Berry then signed free agent Derek Barnett, who is a former first-round draft pick. But Barnett wasn’t signed by any other NFL club waiting for a call because his last few years have had limited production. But he is a solid player with plenty of experience and a healthy body.
Williams is basically in “prove it” mode. He showed flashes with the Cowboys, had an entire year off, then did not play well last year. Dallas then gave him their own one-year “prove-it” deal, and was cut. It was assumed that they would then sign him to their practice squad, but Berry needed a healthy body and got him instead.
He will need to carve out a depth role on the Browns. Williams won’t be expected to become the starter and destroy an opponent’s offensive backfield. Right now, he is simply an able body that has talent and will need to rekindle the success he has had in the past.
Cleveland’s pass rush group has many question marks. Their setup beyond Jared Verse is unsettled. Isaiah McGuire is now the default starter opposite Verse, with Barnett listed as his backup. When Verse needs time to rest, it will be Williams now slated to come in. After that, at defensive end, the coaching staff has DTs Adin Huntington and perhaps Mike Hall to swing outside. On the practice squad are Sam Kamara, Logan Fano, Tyreak Sapp, and Khordae Sydnor.
Williams will aim to at least operate on a rotational basis with Cleveland. He is athletic and has high-end physical traits. He hasn’t shown much as far as consistency with the pass rush and is a decent run-support guy, although he struggled with this early on at the NFL level. Quickness is his best friend, along with his long arms (33 1/8”), vertical jump (36”), wide wingspan (6’-8 1/4”), and is very strong. He once recorded a deadlift of 750 pounds. No, not a misprint.
With Dallas, he posted a 12.8% pass-rush win rate as an edge defender. That was before his knee injury, so what has changed? The Cowboys simply gave up on him by inking him to only a one-year deal, then releasing him after a good camp.
Williams will need to maintain gap integrity, which has been an issue for him. He resorts to straight-on rushing instead of using techniques to go inside or spin to the outer edge in order to lose the block. Plus, he lacks a polished pass-rushing plan.
For the Browns, Williams has a constant motor who is an improved run defender, and a physical tackler. He offers the versatility to be lined up anywhere from a three-technique to a wide nine, can play the 4-3 defensive end, and is a true 3-4 outside linebacker who is capable of dropping back in coverage.
What are your expectations for Williams with the Browns?
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