Williams added that the near-miss should be rather motivating for the Cowboys moving forward in 2018.

"When you don't go to the playoffs, you remember all the bad stuff," he said. "It's like a bad nightmare, and it's one of those things that's going to keep driving you and driving you. The days that you get tired, you think about days like this."

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Williams, who signed a four-year deal with the Cowboys last year in free agency, is expected to return next year. But that's certainly not the case for everyone, especially some of the pending free agents. Linebacker Anthony Hitchens, who was one of the team's best defensive players this year, is an unrestricted free agent and knows the "business-side" of things could be the reason he isn't with the team next year.

"Yes, definitely, it is a business. I knew that getting into it," Hitchens said. "You never know it is a business until it hits you on the business side. It is something that is out of my control and out of Dallas' control. Hopefully I'm back here. This is home for me, and we go from there."

Hitchens is one 13 unrestricted free agents, but just one of three regular starters, along with Jonathan Cooper and DeMarcus Lawrence, who led the team with 14.5 sacks and could be headed towards the franchise tag if a deal is not reached in the next two months.

Defensive tackle David Irving, who missed the last four games with a concussion, said he still experienced minor headaches but is improving. He is a restricted free agent, making it rather unlikely he doesn't return in 2018.

Here's a list of the entire 16 free agents for the Cowboys this offseason:

Unrestricted

QB Kellen Moore

RB Alfred Morris

WR Brice Butler

OT Byron Bell

G Jonathan Cooper

G/C Joe Looney

DE DeMarcus Lawrence

DL Stephen Paea

LB Anthony Hitchens

LB Kyle Wilber

CB Bene Benwikere

LS L.P. Ladouceur

Restricted

FB Keith Smith

DL David Irving

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