Cowboy Roundup: NFL trade deadline grades, Double-team destroyers

Happy Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys Nation. How is everyone feeling after an eventful NFL trade deadline? The Cowboys were "open for business" like owner Jerry Jones promised, but the moves have been met with mixed reactions.

You cannot deny the moves upgrade the level of talent on the defensive side of the ball for the Cowboys, but some believe the price for Quinnen Williams may have been a bit steep.

MORE: Cowboys' projected depth chart after Quinnen Williams, Logan Wilson trades

If you're looking for a move to salvage the season, then sure, maybe the Cowboys overpaid. But it was a move that gives Dallas an immediate impact player at a key position for defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, and it sets the team up for future roster-building success.

New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams celebrates after a win over the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadiu — New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams celebrates with the crowd after a win over the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. | Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

We won't know the true impact of the trade deadline moves for another few years, but for now, Cowboys fans should be happy that the front office is working to improve the roster and not just rolling with "our guys," which has plagued the franchise in the past.

While we wait to see what is next for the Cowboys as they chug along through the bye week, let's take a spin around the internet block to see what news and headlines are making waves online and across social media.

MORE: New Cowboys DT Quinnen Williams excited for Dallas, pens emotional goodbye to Jets

NFL trade deadline grades

New York Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams warms up before a game against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium | Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cowboys swung big at the NFL trade deadline, but not everyone loves the move. The criticism for Dallas' move seems to be the idea that the team made a deal out of desperation to try to save this season, even if it's really a deal for the future. ESPN.com is among those not fond of the move. In fact, they hate it.

"There's no other way to put it: This is a horrific trade for the Cowboys. It is completely unfathomable for a team like Dallas to be trading away major draft resources for a soon-to-be-28-year-old defensive tackle on a salary-heavy contract in a season when it has a 7% chance to make the playoffs, per ESPN's Football Power Index. And yet here we are."

MORE: Dak Prescott shares NSFW reaction to Cowboys' Quinnen Williams trade

Double-team destroyers

Quinnen Williams has beaten 57 double teams to generate pressure since 2022, the most of any player in that span.

His 190 total pressures during that timeframe are the 4th-most among defensive tackles.@dallascowboys | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/bsFRr5QkiV
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 4, 2025

While people are bashing the Cowboys for adding Quinnen Williams, it's a move that shows the team is looking to establish an identity. You can't double-team everyone, and when you do, it's not always guaranteed to work.

With Williams, Dallas has the league's top two defensive tackles against double-teams over the past few years, so you can expect to see Eberflus' defense finally get the interious disruption that it thrives with.

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