Quinnen Williams's Underwhelming Season Proves Jets Won Trade vs. Cowboys

It keeps getting better for Gang Green.

It's becoming clear that trading Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys, although painful at the time, was the right call by the Jets. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There's an old adage in NFL roster management. Teams need to get rid of top players a year before their prime wears out.

Not because they like seeing a star play well for an opposing team, but because the prime success won't last so long. The Jets have proven that already with last year's trade deadline moves. Gang Green's decision to trade All-Pro players like Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams was a stroke of genius. Both players haven't stepped up as their past success showed, and New York made out with a plethora of high draft picks because of that.

While much has been made about the Gardner trade specifically, it's time to focus on the trade that sent Williams to the Cowboys.

Even with Dallas's success on Monday night and a solid day from the Pro Bowl defensive tackle, the full body of work leaves much to be desired.

Jets keep winning after trading Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys

Williams has been fine for the Cowboys since being traded for a first- and second-round pick over the last two drafts. The Alabama product has recorded three sacks this season and nine tackles for loss, with five of them coming in the last two weeks alone.

That said, a deeper dive in the numbers show someone who may not be living up to his current contract.

Less fuss would be made over Quinnen Williams's performance if he weren't making as much money. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pro Football Focus has graded Williams' play this season at a respectable 62.5—48th among all interior defensive linemen. That grade shows a player performing at a slightly above-average level. Solid for a defense in need of more talent, as the Cowboys are.

There's just one problem. The Cowboys aren't paying Williams to be slightly above average. In August, Dallas and Williams agreed to a three-year, $105 million extension that pays him an average annual value of $35 million—the second-most of all tackles. Is Williams playing like the second-best defensive tackle in the game? Of course not.

It's true, though, that while Williams's average salary is high, the team's cap hit breakdown makes him easier to stomach.

Still, the Cowboys are also just 3-4. They have yet to take the next step in their defensive process, as many would have hoped. In fact, the more they or the Packers lose, the better it is for the Jets. New York owns the worst of either team's first-round picks in 2027, which is currently Dallas's selection (No. 12) as of Thursday evening, according to Tankathon.

Williams had a solid game in the Cowboys' win over the Eagles on Monday night, but it doesn't wash away the fact that he has been a pretty big letdown for a team paying him to be a star.

And with each passing week, the trade that sent him to the Lone Star State remains a clear victory for the Jets.

Get Jets On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.