NFL levies 3-game suspension for troubled Cowboys player

The NFL has been cracking down more often on players who participate in conduct detrimental to the league for several years now. The days of the “Cocaine Cowboys” are over.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants the league to be a prime example for the youth in America, and he proves to us on every occasion that unsavory behavior from NFL players will not be tolerated.

His latest example of this is Cowboys’ DE Sam Williams. Goodell added insult to injury by levying a three-game suspension for the troubled Cowboys’ defensive end for a traffic stop conducted back in August of 2023.

The suspension comes more than a year later, and is probably a lighter sentence than what Goodell could have handed out. Especially because Williams now has a track record for off the field incidents.

It started with a vehicular accident during his rookie season in which Williams was speeding. The Cowboys knew about his character concerns coming out of college, but that didn’t stop them from drafting Williams in the 2nd round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Surely, another offense would lead to a longer and more impactful suspension if Williams doesn’t get his act together.

What Does This Mean for Sam Williams?

Besides losing out on three games worth of salary at $211,807 per game ($635,421 total), the suspension will not affect Williams in any other way because he is being allowed to serve it this season.

Williams is currently on season-ending injured reserve, having torn his ACL and MCL during training camp practice this past July. It was a hurtful blow to Williams, who was expected to play a major role in new DC Mike Zimmer’s defense.

He was listed as a starter in early editions of the depth chart, and hoped to make a bigger impact than being a gunner on special teams. The depth chart was crowded in 2023, but Williams still managed 4.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, and seven QB hits as part of the defensive rotation.

An increased role this season could have helped him establish himself as a cornerstone of the Cowboys’ defense, but now it’s a defense that is suffering without him.

What Does This Mean for the Dallas Cowboys?

Well, they catch a break because Goodell is allowing Sam Williams to serve his suspension this season even though he has no chance of playing on his surgically repaired knee.

It did turn out to be a bad omen, however. Williams was just the first domino to fall on Zimmer’s defensive line. Once the season started, the Cowboys also lost Micah Parsons (high ankle sprain), DeMarcus “Tank” Lawrence (foot), and rookie Marshawn Kneeland (knee).

These injuries are in addition to the free agency losses of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr. The defensive end depth for the Cowboys has taken a major hit, and all they can do is ride the wave of backups until their starters return.

Williams will return in 2025, and it will be a contract year for him. I am a fan of the players, and I always want them to get as much money as they can on their next contract, but this is a dream for Stephen Jones and the Cowboys.

They love to take injured players and pay them less than what they are worth while they work their way back to form. We’ve seen it recently with RT Terence Steele and WR Michael Gallup. Those aren’t exactly shining examples of success, but the precedent is there.

I can see him have a solid, yet unspectacular year in the final season of his contract, and the Cowboys will offer him less than market value to return in 2026.