Browns Sign Sam Williams After Cutdown: A Depth Bet Behind Jared Verse

The Browns needed bodies on the edge, and GM Andrew Berry went and got one. Cleveland signed defensive end Sam Williams two days after cutting him at the final roster deadline, adding him alongside cornerback Noah Igbinoghene to patch holes left by moves involving Michael Coats Jr. and Kalia Davis. Williams, a 2022 second-round pick, arrives on a one-year, $2.5 million deal after his four-year rookie contract expired.

The urgency is real. Cleveland lost DE Alex Wright for the season to a torn Achilles, and the pass rush beyond stud EDGE Jared Verse is a genuine question mark. Berry already brought in former first-rounder Derek Barnett, but Williams gives the Browns another athletic, healthy option — even if his 2025 tape was rough. He logged exactly one sack last year in Dallas, a far cry from the flashes that had him finish sixth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting back in 2022.

The Player Cleveland Is Betting On

The traits jump off the page. Williams (6-4, 260) ran a 4.46 forty, owns 33 1/8-inch arms, a 36-inch vertical and a 6-8 1/4 wingspan, and once deadlifted 750 pounds. His college production at Ole Miss backs it up too — 20.5 sacks, 31.5 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles across his career, earning First Team All-SEC honors. Quickness and length are his calling cards.

The problem has always been consistency. Across three seasons of actual game action in Dallas (he missed all of 2024 with a torn ACL and partial MCL tear), Williams piled up 9.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss but posted just a 12.8% pass-rush win rate as an edge defender. Dallas gave him a prove-it deal, then cut him. Cleveland is essentially running the same experiment, hoping the athleticism finally translates into steady disruption.

Where He Fits On The Depth Chart

Don't expect a starting job. Isaiah McGuire is the default man opposite Verse, with Barnett as his backup. Williams profiles as the guy who spots Verse when the star needs a breather, with DTs Adin Huntington and possibly Mike Hall available to kick outside behind him. He showed some special-teams juice in the preseason too, blocking a punt against Detroit and finishing second on the team in tackles in one exhibition against New Orleans.

For fantasy managers, this is a WATCH and nothing more. Williams is a depth signing on a prove-it contract, not a locked-in rotational rusher, and rotational edge players rarely move the IDP needle unless snaps and sacks spike. Leave him on the wire. If Verse misses time or Williams starts eating meaningful snaps and producing, revisit him then — for now, there's zero reason to burn a roster spot.