What does the trade for Quinnen Williams mean for Dallas?

This trade would have probably felt a heck of a lot better if Dallas had not lost to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night football, but still, Jerry Jones made the move for Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson, who lost his starting spot to a rookie with the Bengals.

In case you somehow missed it, let’s start with getting the details of the trade out of the way first.

Dallas a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and defensive tackle Mazi Smith to the Jets to complete the trade for Williams. The 2027 pick going to the Jets will be the better of the Cowboys’ two first-round picks that year.

Williams was the third overall pick in the 2019 draft. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2022, and he’s a three-time Pro Bowler.

This or That?

One of the many reasons why the Cowboys (3-5-1) are the NFL’s second-worst scoring defense (30.8 points per game allowed) through the first half of the year is the lack of an impact All-Pro contributor along the defensive line, but that is where I honestly want to ask the question.

The NFC is loaded top to bottom. The Dallas Cowboys only have a 7% chance to make the playoffs as of today. Williams has two years left on the deal that Dallas will get him with, so was this a trade to try and make the playoffs this season, or for 2026 and maybe 2027?

New #Cowboys DT Quinnen Williams should be well-rested for the second half of the season.

He had a Week 9 bye with the Jets and will now enjoy a Week 10 bye with the Cowboys.

Next game is on November 17 against the Raiders and their OL (lol)

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) November 5, 2025

After the bye week, they play the Raiders on the road, the Eagles and Chiefs at home. Then they play the Lions. So let’s be honest here, this team is two games under .500 and with the Eagles, Chiefs and Lions three out of the next four games, this move has to be for 26 and 27.

I would love nothing more than for them to somehow get back into the race, but even when they beat the Raiders coming out of the bye, they very well could end up 4-7-1 after the two games that follow.

All I am saying is if they can keep George Pickens and use both of these first round picks in April 2026 to draft defense or flip them for some guys on the back end, 2026 will probably be the last real chance this team has for a long time.

As much as I want them to make the playoffs in 2025, it is just not going to happen, and regardless of the type of fan you are, you know it just as well as I do.