The New York Jets are blowing everything up, right back to the foundation. In a flurry of deals on Tuesday the Jets traded Sauce Gardner to the Colts, and now they’ve sent DT Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys. In exchange the Cowboys will send a 2nd round pick in 2026, a 1st round pick in 2027, and send DT Mazi Smith to New York in the deal.
It’s a big time move for both teams. The Cowboys have been preaching the need to get better against the run, and you’d be hard pressed to find a better run stopped available in a trade. Williams is one of the best run stopping interior linemen in the NFL — who also possesses the ability to collapse the pocket from the middle. This was something he did to phenomenal effect in 2022 when he amasses a career-high 12.0 sacks from the inside, becoming a foundation of the Jets defense.
Dealing Gardner was somewhat expected, but sending away Williams too is a bit of a shock. It’s proof that new head coach Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey want to change the culture inside the locker room — and that means getting rid of almost everyone who played a part in the past.
This really achieves something for both teams: The Cowboys get the run stopper they’ve been desperate for in the middle, and someone who can lessen the loss of Micah Parsons, which is still being felt in Dallas. Meanwhile the Jets gain even more draft assets to use in the future, hopefully finding a way to select players who will finally bring them back into relevancy.
Kudos where its due to Dallas for keeping their first round picks intact in 2026. It’s a down year for Dallas, and should the team miss the playoffs it will land somewhere in the teens. This way the Cowboys gamble on themselves to improve in 2027 when the payment comes due, and really gave up what’s tantamount to two second round picks when you factor in that teams typically view future picks a round behind their position.
Cowboys grade: A
Jets grade: B+
The Cowboys got a brilliant player and slightly won this deal because how how they finessed their picks. The Jets are likely happy to move on from Williams and this gives them freedom to rework the roster.