Dallas Cowboys: Quinnen Williams should be a top trade target

Quinnen Williams could be a long-term piece for the Dallas Cowboys at the NFL trade deadline.

Things have not gone according to plan for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2020 NFL season. Be it the Dak Prescott injury, a litany of other injuries or having arguably the worst defense in the league, a team that came into the year with Super Bowl aspirations sits at 2-4. Yet they still have a shot at winning the NFC East but some things need to change for that to happen.

That makes the approaching 2020 NFL trade deadline all the more intriguing. Despite their record, the Cowboys could legitimately be buyers if the right deal is put before them. And it just so happens that the right kind of trade could be developing for them to jump on in the form of New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

Williams has been a bit of a disappointment since the Jets selected him at No. 3 in the 2019 NFL Draft. He registered only 2.5 sacks as a rookie and has just two sacks through six games this year, both of which came in the same game. And as the Jets are likely heading towards a complete teardown, he could be on the move.

Connor Hughes of The Athletic (subscription required) listed Williams as a potential candidate to be moved at the trade deadline. He mentioned that New York had not gotten any serious offers for the defensive tackle yet but posited that he could potentially be had for a second-round pick in 2021. If that is indeed the case, the Dallas Cowboys should be ready to jump on that opportunity.

The Dallas Cowboys are sorely lacking a defensive presence like Quinnen Williams.

The lack of sack production for Williams doesn’t tell the whole story with the still-22-year-old in only his second season. According to PFF (subscription required), Williams has been the 31st best overall defensive tackle but has been the eighth-best run defender and 31st-ranked pass-rusher. He’s already a quality run-stopper, which is something that could help Dallas immediately.

Beyond that, though, Williams is still young enough to drastically improve as a pass-rusher. His explosiveness and ability to penetrate while at Alabama was one of the major reasons he ended up being a top-five pick in the 2020 draft. At his age and given the situation in New York in which he’s been asked to develop, it shouldn’t be shocking that he’s not fully realized yet.

To be sure, the Dallas Cowboys defense isn’t a great situation right now. However, a player of Williams’ ilk could help things. Yes, there is still help needed in the secondary moving forward but this team was banking on veteran Gerald McCoy to be a key cog on the defensive line this season before he suffered a season-ending injury in training camp. Williams could fill that role to adequate degrees.

More importantly, Williams wouldn’t be a rental for a second-round pick. He still has at least two years left on his rookie contract not including the fifth-year option. While Dallas’ salary cap situation is one everyone is monitoring, fitting a rookie contract into the mix is more plausible than landing a high-priced veteran who might not even have the upside Williams possesses.

With the clear improvement the Cowboys need now and long-term and a potential high-upside asset being remotely available, Dallas would be doing the franchise a disservice to not be working to land Quinnen Williams. The value of the deal with the fit of the player couldn’t be more perfect and working towards a trade prior to the Nov. 3 deadline needs to happen.