The Browns’ latest edge-rusher gamble comes with a built-in argument on both sides.
On paper, Sam Williams looks like the kind of move that can make a fan base squint. Cleveland chose the former Dallas Cowboys pass rusher over Julian Okwara after roster cutdowns, and that alone raised eyebrows.
Williams is a former second-round pick and still only 27, but his production in Arlington never fully matched the draft pedigree. Dallas also moved on from him not long after handing him a one-year extension, which only made the fit feel a little shaky.
But there’s a reason the Browns are willing to take the swing. ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi pointed to one advanced metric that paints a much better picture of Williams’ pass-rushing upside.
As Oyefusi wrote: "Last season, Williams had a 12.8% pass rush win rate as an edge defender, which ranked 23rd out of 53 qualifying players," Oyefusi wrote." For reference, Jared Verse ranked 22nd with a 12.9% pass rush win rate."
That kind of number matters in a Browns defensive end group that is already layered. Williams is entering a room that includes Jared Verse, Isaiah McGuire, and Derek Barnett, while Okwara is now on the practice squad. Mike Hall Jr. can also slide out to the edge in certain packages, giving Cleveland a few different ways to piece things together.
The context around the position only makes the decision more interesting. Trading Myles Garrett was already a tough one to explain, and then Alex Wright going down for the season added another headache. Against that backdrop, Williams could wind up as the No. 4 defensive end behind McGuire and Barnett, which is not a bad place for a player with some untapped upside.
There are obvious reasons for caution, though. Williams has not shown a deep bag of pass-rushing moves, and the defenses he played in with Dallas were not exactly stable. He went through a different defensive coordinator every year with the Cowboys, and that kind of churn can slow down a player’s growth.
Still, Cleveland has seen this kind of bet pay off before. Devin Bush arrived in Berea with plenty of doubt attached, and not long ago he didn’t even look like an NFL player, much less a former first-round pick. Then he settled in and played like a true star.
Wright also gives the Browns some room to hope Williams can find a role quickly if he performs. Wright is more of a run defender than a pure edge threat, so there’s a path to snaps if Williams can flash early. He’s an explosive athlete who was rarely put in a spot to succeed, and he never had the benefit of playing across from someone with Verse’s caliber.
That doesn’t mean the skepticism is misplaced. Fans have every right to question whether this is more of a lottery ticket than a solution, especially given what those Cowboys defenses actually produced during Williams’ time there. But the Browns clearly believe the setting matters, and they’re betting that the right environment can unlock something fast.
Even so, Cleveland is probably not done searching. The team already took swings on Jadeveon Clowney and Za’Darius Smith, and if Williams doesn’t show he’s the real thing early, this pass-rushing group could keep changing as the months go on.
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