The Dallas Cowboys still probably haven’t seen the best from defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
Williams, obtained in a midseason trade with the New York Jets in 2025, has the potential to be the NFL’s best interior defensive lineman.
That’s in large part because, in 2026, for the 1st time in his career, he’ll enter a season on a team with actual, realistic hopes of being a contender and a defense that seems to cater to his strength almost everywhere he looks.
That’s why Williams landed at No. 6 on ESPN’s annual preseason position rankings for defensive tackles compiled by league executives, coaches, and scouts.
“After six-plus seasons with the Jets, a full year on a different team should benefit Williams,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on July 9. “Quinnen Williams finished fifth in run stop win rate (43%) among 204 qualified players in 2025. As a pass rusher, his 19 pressures in seven games with Dallas more than doubled his total in eight games with New York (eight) before he was traded. And the Cowboys are hopeful Williams increases his pass-rush profile in 2026. His 2.5 sacks marked his lowest total since his rookie year in 2019.”
Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams took the No. 1 spot in the poll for the 1st time after leading his team to a Super Bowl win — he’d been in the Top 10 every year since the rankings began in 2020.
“The Jets will knock you down — the same thing happened to Leonard Williams — but I expect Quinnen to be better in Dallas, be rejuvenated a bit,” 1 anonymous NFL coordinator told Fowler. “As far as skill sets, he’s still so gifted and such a matchup problem.”
Cowboys Shocked NFL by Trading for Williams
Williams, an NFL All-Pro and 3-time Pro Bowler, was part of a mass influx of defensive talent who joined the Cowboys in the 2nd half of the season, along with another trade for Cincinnati Bengals inside linebacker Logan Wilson, along with the inside linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and cornerback Shavon Revel making their season debuts after injuries.
The Jets sent Williams to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 2nd- round pick, 2027 1st-round pick, and Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith, a 2023 1st-round pick.
“Blockbuster: The Cowboys are trading for Jets Pro Bowl DT Quinnen Williams, sending a first-round pick and more to NYJ, per The Insiders,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account. “New home for one of the NFL’s best to team that values interior DLs, as NYJ builds for the future.”
Williams, 6-foot-3 and 303 pounds, was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft and signed a 4-year, $96 million contract extension in July 2023 that keeps him in Dallas through the end of the 2027 season.
If Williams has another All-Pro or Pro Bowl season in 2026, it’s a lock that the Cowboys will likely reward him with another lucrative contract extension.
Cowboys Have Potent 1-2 Punch on Interior DL
The deal for Williams gives the Cowboys arguably the NFC East’s best 1-2 punch on the interior defensive line behind just the Philadelphia Eagles duo of Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis — both of whom made ESPN’s Top 10 list of defensive tackles with Carter at No. 3 and Davis at No. 6.
The Cowboys already have Pro Bowler Kenny Clark at one of the defensive tackle spots, with Clark part of the preseason trade that sent edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for 2 first round draft picks. Clark was among those “receiving votes” in ESPN’s poll.
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