The Dallas Cowboys made a big splash this week when they traded for New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. The former Alabama stud defender was highly coveted coming out of college, which is why he was selected third overall in the 2019 NFL draft. He’s been sensational from the onset. Despite being known as a run-stopping specialist, he has surprisingly good pass-rushing skills, racking up at least 5.5 sacks in each of the last five seasons. He compiled an amazing 12 sacks in 2022, earning first-team All-Pro honors.
To land Williams, the Cowboys will give up the better of the two first-round picks from 2027, one of which they gained from the Micah Parsons trade. Additionally, they gave up their second-round pick from the 2026 draft. Because of draft pick depreciation, the value of a 2027 first-rounder is equivalent to a second-round pick in 2026. So essentially, they got Williams for two second-round picks. That’s a good value for a player of his caliber.
Some are questioning his talent, oddly, because his sack total this season sits at a measly one sack. This is his seventh season in the pros, so many are already labeling him in a “decline” state, but there is no physical evidence to suggest such. He’s 27 years old and has plenty of good years left. If you look at six-time Pro Bowler Chris Jones from the Kansas City Chiefs, he didn’t earn his first first-team All-Pro until the age of 28, where he then reeled off three-straight first-team All-Pro seasons.
Anyone who puts on the tape of Williams should be immediately pleased. He’s the kind of guy who does so many things well and whose success is built on razor-sharp fundamentals that won’t be nullified by declining physical traits, because he never had elite traits in the first place. Williams is an “it-factor” guy who possesses the intangibles because of his play instincts and breadth of skills. The Cowboys finally have themselves a legit force along the interior defensive line, and today we’ll run through the skills that make Williams such a remarkable asset for the defense.
LEVERAGE
At 6’3”, 303 pounds, Williams doesn’t have the mammoth size that most run-stopping defensive tackles have. He doesn’t possess overpowering strength and looks like he would be susceptible to being pushed around, but those moments rarely happen. He does a remarkable job staying low and getting under the chest of his blockers. His hands are so quick that he puts himself in a position to win with leverage consistently. This is a big reason he’s known for resetting the line of scrimmage. It doesn’t matter if he is fighting through double teams or going one-on-one. He drives the blockers where he wants to go.
AWARENESS
One of the things that makes Williams so effective is how he’s always spying the ball carrier. He’s never going to get caught up, entangled with his blockers, unaware of what is happening with the play. His eyes are always locked on where the play is going. His football IQ and play diagnoses are high-level. When you combine his heightened awareness with his physical ability to move the line of scrimmage, it puts him in a great position to shut down running lanes and take shots at the ball carrier at a high rate. Williams is a fundamentalist who uses his sharp optics to attack, and he is rarely off his target.
DISENGAGEMENT
Williams has super quick hands. Not only do they move fast, but his hand placement is spot on, locking into the chest, allowing him to control where he wants to go. His hands are violent, and in an instant, will go from locked into the chest to completely disengaged. Now you see them, now you don’t. The rapid movement of his hands makes him a masterful block-shedder. Because of his spying eyes, he knows exactly when to pull with his hands and quickly toss aside his blocker, creating an open path to the football.
BURST
Big guys aren’t supposed to be fast, which is why it’s so impressive to see Williams move so well. His burst off the line of scrimmage is instantaneous, and if his blocker stumbles just a bit, it’s over. He’ll blow up the play. Many times, he will attack the shoulder so quickly that the lineman doesn’t stand a chance to set an anchor and hold his block. He works himself in the backfield so quickly, and once he disengages from the block, he fires toward the ball carrier. This is why he does most of his own cleanup work and racks up the tackles before the linebackers arrive. And he is a relentless pursuer, chasing down ball carriers along the outside as well. Wherever they are, he’ll find them.
These combinations of skills have made Williams one of the best defensive tackles in the game, and now he’s on the Cowboys. He’s not Micah Parsons, but like Parsons, he is an elite player at his respective position. People can debate the trade costs, but when you look at what he puts on film, it becomes very difficult to conclude that he’s not a great football player who won’t help the Cowboys’ defense in a big way. See for yourself.
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