The Dallas Cowboys are readying for a Week 11 Monday Night Football affair with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Cowboys are on the road for this one, but are still betting favorites over a Raiders team that is really struggling this season.
At 3-5-1 on the season, the Cowboys are on life-support as far as the playoff chase, but the front office wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. At the trade deadline they added two players to a horrible defense that has been ruining any chance of a decent season. DT Quinnen Williams and LB Logan Wilson are now Cowboys. While Wilson has a chance to stabilize the linebacker group, it’s Williams that has a chance to help transform the defense.
Williams is a top-tier defensive tackle that is a run-stuffer with some pass-rush ability thrown in. He’s the kind of guy other teams bring up in their scouting reports and preparations each week. His profile would be a lot higher if he was ever on a decent team instead of the constantly floundering Jets.
The Cowboys have Williams under contract through 2027, when he turns 30 years old. The contract is pricy but not insane (roughly a $22 million cap hit in 2026, $25 million in 2027). He’s an aging player, but still under 30.
Dallas did give up a lot to get him. A second-round pick in 2026, and the better of their two first-round picks in 2027 (plus throw-in Mazi Smith). That is at a position that generally doesn’t command top draft resources and contracts, although when you get the right player that calculus can change. The Cowboys have also splurged resources at defensive tackle recently. They gave a substantial contract to Osa Odighizuwa, insisted on Kenny Clark in the Micah parsons trade, and now Williams. That’s a lot at one of the “lesser” positions on the value chart.
Given all that, and without having seen Williams play a down in a Cowboys uniform, how would you grade the trade? That’s part of our survey this week, along with the standard confidence level question.
Vote in the polls them hit the comments below to give us your take.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cowboys fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
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