Sam Williams found a way both stay & move – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com
Sam Williams is looking to have more than just a role on special teams this season.
Back in mid-March, Sam Williams became a free agent for the first time in his career. While he expected interest from around the league, there was only one call he was truly waiting for the Cowboys.
Even with the opportunity to move on, Williams never really wanted to leave Dallas.
“It was a no-brainer,” Williams said of his decision to stay with the Cowboys. “I got other offers at other places, but once the Cowboys wanted
me back, it was a no-brainer.”
On the surface, it may seem like Williams simply preferred the familiarity of Dallas and didn’t want to relocate. In reality, though, staying with the Cowboys will still bring change, specifically, a shift in position.
Previously listed as a defensive end in the team’s 4-3 scheme, Williams is embracing a new role under defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
“I’m going to be an outside linebacker,” Williams said last week at the Cowboys’ Home Run Derby in Frisco. “I can use my speed and my strength more. I can just be me.”
While it might sound like a major adjustment, the position isn’t new to him.
“This is what I did at Ole Miss,” Williams said. “I’m very happy.”
Williams also praised Parker’s approach, noting the discipline and clarity he brings to the defense.
“He ain’t coming to play around. He’s straightforward with what he wants,” Williams said. “He didn’t ask any questions. He just told us how he wants it, and that’s the way it’s going to be.”
Now nearly two full years removed from the ACL and MCL tears he suffered during 2024 training camp, Williams says he’s feeling “extremely better.” After missing that entire season, he returned in 2025 to play all 17 games, making five starts.
Cowboys’ DeMarvion Overshown on contract year: ‘People haven’t seen my best yet’ – Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
If the Dallas Cowboys can get a Pro Bowl season from DeMarvion Overshown, the defense could be special.
“It’s been the biggest blessing I can ask for,” Overshown said. “Everybody knows that when I’m healthy, I’m one of the best linebackers in the league. Not to toot my own horn, but the film and stats speak for itself … I feel like people haven’t seen my best yet. This is going to be one of my best years.”
Now out of the knee brace for what feels like the first time since he suffered that first knee injury in August 2023, Overshown is excited about his new role in Parker’s new defense. While he did voice some frustration about how he was used in 2025, that misguided usage seems to be correcting itself going into Overshown’s fourth year.
“I get to showcase what I do best,” he said. “I’m not just parked somewhere expecting to make a play on the other side of the field. There’s some stuff schemed up to where I am in the [run] fits on every play. I love football, and I love being a part of the play. I’m excited about the role I got.”
Even though Overshown has remained in place, the linebacker room has seen a sizable makeover this offseason around him. Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn are gone, and Dee Winters and rookie Jaishawn Barham have been brought in. As the room builds its new identity under new linebackers coach Scott Symons, Overshown has been a big part of the new face the position group is taking on.
“It’s been fun,” he said. “You’re excited for football already when you’re in the meeting room, and you’re going through certain stuff on the field. You see the scheme playing out in real-life time. It’s going to help us win a Super Bowl. How he goes into calls, how he goes into depth. The reasons why we do everything from 1-to-11.”
Contract year for Luke Schoonmaker adds extra layer of motivation for Cowboys TE – Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News
There are a lot of Cowboys looking to cash in on a career year before they hit free agency.
Heading into the final year of his rookie contract, Schoonmaker understands that the time is now to take a major step. It’s become his focus.
“Big time,” Schoonmaker said last week from the team’s annual Reliant Home Run Derby in Frisco when asked whether the end of his rookie contract motivates him. “Making sure I’m doing everything to the best of my ability and making the tweaks that I have and putting it all into this year. Like, going all out and giving it everything.”
Schoonmaker hasn’t missed a game in his career, though he did say he feels fully healthy this offseason for the first time as a pro. He had foot surgery his first offseason with the Cowboys. He had shoulder surgery the following offseason before also dealing with hamstring and groin issues. He also dealt with an injury at the end of training camp a year ago.
Schoonmaker said the Cowboys, at their end-of-year evaluations, gave him a clear direction for his offseason work. He said they’ve wanted him to utilize his speed downfield. Schoonmaker ran a 4.63 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. So far, Schoonmaker has had an average depth of target of six yards downfield in his career. His career long reception was a 29-yard catch and run last season.
Fellow Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson said last week that he believes the tight end room might be the most talented he’s been a part of since he was drafted in 2022. It is missing a vertical deep threat from the position, however. Ferguson, for example, had an average depth of target of 4.7 yards last season. The Pro Bowler had a career-high in receptions last season with 82 catches, but a career low in yards per catch (7.3).
The Cowboys are also optimistic about what third-year tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford can do from a receiving perspective. They also added two undrafted rookie tight ends in Baylor’s Michael Trigg — a prospect with a fourth-round grade, according to The Athletic — and TCU’s D.J. Rogers.
Cowboys 2026 schedule predictions: Dallas projects for winning season after defensive overhaul – Garrett Podell, CBS Sports
If the Cowboys win 10 games this season, would it be considered a success?
Cowboys’ key schedule notables
Toughest stretch by opponents: Weeks 12-16. In the span of five weeks, with a bye breaking up the stretch right down the middle, Dallas will play at home against the defending NFC East champion Eagles on Thanksgiving in Week 12, at the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks on “Monday Night Football” in Week 13, bye in Week 14, at the NFC runner up Rams in Week 15 and home against the defending AFC South champion Jaguars in Week 16. Two of the games are at home, two are on the road, with the two away games being at the two NFC West powerhouses. At that point in the season, the stakes will be higher, and the Cowboys will be playing their toughest opponents. The football world will truly know what the 2026 Cowboys are about after this stretch.
Toughest stretch by logistics: Weeks 3-7. As my CBS Sports colleague John Breech pointed out, 17 of the NFL’s 32 teams will play international games this season, and of those 17, 12 have a home game the following week and 3 have a bye the week after. The Dallas Cowboys and the Indianapolis Colts have to play on the road after playing abroad. This setup means the Cowboys play three games in an 11-day span beginning with Week 3 in Brazil. After a 10-hour flight home, Dallas has a short road trip to Houston and its ferocious defense. Then, the Cowboys line up the following Thursday to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dallas then hits the road in consecutive weeks for two emotionally-charged primetime showdowns: Week 6 at the Green Bay Packers — in a game in which Micah Parsons should be back from his torn ACL — and Week 7 at the Philadelphia Eagles on “Monday Night Football.”
“Honestly, I’m excited,” Prescott said last week at the annual Reliant Home Run Derby to benefit the Salvation Army. “First time playing an international game going into my 11th season. I would have thought we would have had one by now, but it’s all good, obviously, right? The travel will be tough, but it’s a part of growing this game, something we’ll manage. We’ll just figure out the best way, obviously, to take care of our bodies. We’ve been a part of three games in 11 days, right? Every year pretty much with our Thanksgiving Day game, so nothing new. Just having to do it earlier and bounce back. What it is is if you can get on top and win those games, it happens fast. So you just got to make sure you’re locked in and don’t let those games get by you.”
Easiest stretch: Weeks 8-12. Dallas will play four home games in a five-game span. Two of the games, home against the Cardinals in Week 8 and home against the Titans in Week 11, will be against teams that drafted inside the top five of the 2026 draft. However, Dallas can’t afford to overlook either squad, especially the Cardinals. The only win Arizona had in quarterback Jacoby Brissett’s 12 starts last season came at AT&T Stadium against the Cowboys in a 27-17 victory by the road team. Brissett completed 21 of his 31 throws for 261 yards passing and two touchdowns. That “Monday Night Football” defeat drove Jerry Jones to trade for All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams the very next day.
Daily discussion question: Who is your current favorite Dallas Cowboys player and why?
