Dallas Cowboys acquiring Quinnen Williams in blockbuster trade with New York Jets originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly acquiring defensive lineman Quinnen Williams in a blockbuster trade with the New York Jets.
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The news comes from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Rapoport adds that Dallas is sending a 2026 second-rounder, a 2027 first-rounder and defensive lineman Mazi Smith to New York for Williams’ services.
“Blockbuster: The Cowboys are trading for Jets Pro Bowl DT Quinnen Williams, sending a first-round pick and more to NYJ, per The Insiders,” Rapoport wrote.
This is the second blockbuster trade the Jets have pulled off on Tuesday, with the team also sending cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for two first-rounders and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
This amounts to a massive addition for the Cowboys, who sport one of the worst defenses in the NFL that has struggled against the run and at getting after the quarterback.
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Williams is an elite interior defender who will provide a huge boost to both the Cowboys’ run defense and interior pass-rush.
There had been rumblings that the Jets might consider trading Williams at the trade deadline, but nothing was concrete and the overwhelming sense was that New York would hold on to one of its best defenders.
Clearly that was not the case and instead Jerry Jones was able to pry him away in a deal that should pay huge dividends moving forward.
This trade will also score big points with Cowboys fans, who were not happy about Jones trading Micah Parsons away. Granted, this certainly won’t erase those feelings, but it will help ease them at least a little bit.
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Williams was a first-round pick of the Jets in 2019 and has three Pro Bowl appearances and one first-team All-Pro nod.
Through eight games this season, Williams has posted one sack and 19 pressures. He is sporting Pro Football Focus grades of 90.8 in run defense and 57.1 in the pass-rush.
Williams has routinely posted a PFF pass-rush grade over 70 during his career, so this season is a bit of an outlier in that area.
