Overcoming poor academic marks in high school, Erik Williams took a unconventional path to gridiron stardom, landing at Division II powerhouse Central State University in Ohio. There, the massive Philadelphia native helped lead the Marauders to an NAIA national title, displaying a terrifying blend of size, power, and athletic movement. When the Dallas Cowboys selected him in the third round (70th overall) of the 1991 draft, they weren't just picking an interior depth piece—they were adding the final, mean-spirited cornerstone of a dominant offensive dynasty.

Williams logged time as a backup during his rookie campaign, but his ferocious performance during 1992 training camp forced Jimmy Johnson to shuffle the starting lineup. The Cowboys shifted veteran Nate Newton inside to guard, clearing space for Williams to take over at right tackle. Standing 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds, "Big E" brought a mean, physically imposing edge to the perimeter, locking down elite pass rushers and clearing lanes for Emmitt Smith. His signature moment arrived in 1992, when he single-handedly neutralized Reggie White without tight end help, signaling his ascension as the most feared edge-blocker in the sport.

As a vital pillar of "The Great Wall of Dallas" alongside Newton, Mark Tuinei, Mark Stepnoski, and Kevin Gogan, Williams anchored the front line during Dallas's back-to-back title runs in Super Bowl XXVII and XXVIII. He earned First-Team All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl nod in 1993, establishing a reputation so dominant that many analysts regarded him as a future first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Tragedy struck in October 1994 when Williams suffered severe, multi-ligament knee damage in a near-fatal automobile crash in Dallas, forcing him to miss the rest of the season. Though the injury permanently sapped some of his elite lateral quickness, Williams fought through agonizing rehabilitation to reclaim his starting job in 1995. Relying on sheer power, mental toughness, and a veteran edge, he helped lead Dallas to a third title in Super Bowl XXX, earning two more First-Team All-Pro selections (1995, 1996) and three additional Pro Bowl honors (1996, 1997, 1999).

Williams spent a decade in America's Team uniform before concluding his career with a brief stint in Baltimore in 2001. While the 1994 accident altered his trajectory, his peak play at right tackle remains among the highest levels of offensive line execution in Cowboys history.

Williams played in 141 regular-season games with 128 starts for the franchise, and in 2024, he was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame.