Dallas Cowboys Trade Talk: Quinnen Williams is a no-brainer

What does Quinnen Williams bring to the Dallas Cowboys?

If the answer wasn’t clear enough, trading for Williams nets the Cowboys a good defensive tackle with the potential to be elite. However, it is with this clear cut observation in mind that I make this declaration.

Williams will benefit more from a change of scenery to Dallas than Dallas will benefit from the addition of the Crimson Tide defensive tackle.

Yeah I see your confused faces. You read that correctly. Allow me to explain!

Williams joined a team and instantly became their best defensive linemen. The New York Jets best pass rushers in the 2019 season were linebacker Jordan Jenkins (8 sacks) and now Seattle Seahawk safety Jamal Adams (6.5). The defensive linemen with the highest sack total was Steve McClendon who primarily played Nose Tackle and recorded only a HALF sack more than Quinnen Williams. The talent around Williams was not going to help him alleviate double teams.

Enter Dallas. As it currently stands, DeMarcus Lawrence and Aldon Smith are the defense’s starting defensive ends. Regardless of how you feel about Lawrence, the tandem of Smith and Lawrence is much better than the Jets current edge tandom of Jordan Jenkins and… Tarell Basham.

*gags*

Throw Williams at 3 technique and now this defense is able to generate solid pressure from three parts of the defensive line. Last season, the common gripe was the inability of the interior defensive line to pressure opposing offensive linemen leaving Robert Quinn and DeMarcus Lawrence being double teamed on the edge. The same issue exists this year except with Aldon Smith.

Williams might not break the trend of double teaming the edge, but he is solid at winning as a pass rusher one-on-one and currently much better than any interior defensive lineman on this team. If he can do this with more regularity, Williams likely reaches his numbers from his lone starting season in Tuscaloosa. Factor in Williams’ current run support ability and he’ll live up to his top-five pick billing in no time.

I also forgot to mention he’d be working with Jim Tomsula, which is like, kind of a big deal.

Before you know it, he’ll be asking to bring out the Brinks trucks.

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This Cowboys team has a long way to go defensively and many issues currently exist in the defensive backfield. That said, trading for someone like Williams allows him to develop and turn into a pass-rushing phenom just in time for the rest of the investments the team will likely make on defense to pull their weight.

Final question: how much should the Cowboys be willing to pay for William’s services? If the reports are true that the Jets will accept a second round pick, this is an absolute no-brainer. Even if the Jets asked for a single first-round pick, I think this is a no-brainer.

Williams doesn’t need a significant amount of development to his game. It is likely the Cowboys select in the top 10 this season, and that could be a valuable pick, but for a team with needs all over the board making sure your investments pay off is the most important thing. A trade for Williams will pay itself off pretty quickly and you get two years of a rookie contract with a fifth-year option.

It also goes without saying, the interior defensive line talent in this upcoming draft class is good, but lacking near the top of the draft. If the team wants to upgrade in the trenches the opportunity couldn’t be served on a more valuable platter. Of course, this is only applicable if Stephen Jones doesn’t “like the people we have.”