The Most Important Dallas Cowboys Extension Candidate Entering Training Camp

The Dallas Cowboys have not been good at being proactive when it comes to contract extensions. That needs to change this time around.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs and Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's that time of year again where teams look to get ahead of things and extend the contracts of their key players before the season starts — and the Dallas Cowboys could be one of those teams.

The Cowboys aren't known for being proactive when it comes to extending players, but Dallas does have one very clear candidate to get something done with as training camp begins this week.

That candidate is none other than defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, who is set to play his first full season in Dallas.

Cowboys should extend Quinnen Williams now

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Williams is coming off what can be considered a down year for him after he posted just 2.5 sacks, but a deeper dive into the numbers shows he is still very much elite.

Williams' 2.5 sacks were his fewest since his rookie season, but he finished seventh in pressures and sported the No. 1 run defense grade among interior defensive linemen, per Pro Football Focus.

The former No. 3 overall pick is primed to have a monster season in 2026. He's no longer stuck in the middle of a putrid New York Jets defense and Dallas has enough talent around Williams to place him in a better position to succeed.

The 28-year-old still has one more year left on his current deal, but the longer the Cowboys wait to extend him, the more expensive he could become. Having a career year is one way that could happen, and other interior defenders getting new contracts is another.

The Cowboys have extra incentive to make sure Williams doesn't leave in the next few years after unloading a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick for him in the trade with the Jets. That trade will not look good if Williams is gone come 2028.

What a Quinnen Williame extension could look like

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Spotrac projects Williams for a three-year, $94 million extension, which works out to about $31.3 million per year. That's actually a logical projection, as it would place Williams third at his position when it comes to annual average, and ninth in total value, which isn't bad at all for a three-year pact.

A three-year deal is ideal for the Cowboys because of Williams' age. He'll be 31 in December of the first season of his new deal and 33 when the deal wraps up and it's very possible Williams declines in that span.

We'd be comfortable tacking on a fourth year if there is little to no guaranteed money on it. One way or the other, whether the deal has three or four years, Dallas needs to give itself an out in the final year.