Who is Quinnen Williams? 10 things to know about the Cowboys’ blockbuster acquisition

The Cowboys took a big swing at the trade deadline this year, acquiring Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets in exchange for Mazi Smith, a first-round pick and second-round pick.

Here are five things to know about Dallas’ blockbuster acquisition:

1. The basics

Position: Defensive lineman

Cowboys

Height/weight: 6-3, 303 lbs

Date of birth: Dec. 21, 1997 (Age: 27)

College: Alabama

Hometown: Birmingham, Ala.

FILE -New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (95) during an NFL football game... 2. Goodbye to the Big Apple

Quinnen is an Alabama kid who was embraced by the big city.

He’s been with the Jets since being drafted by New York in 2019. After news of his trade to Dallas broke, he sent out a heartfelt message to Jets fans and all of New York City.

“New York will always have a special place in my heart. To my teammates, coaches, and the entire Jets organization, thank you for believing in me and helping me develop on and off the field. To the fans, thank you for embracing a kid from Alabama and showing love through every high and low. You welcomed me with open arms, and gave me a place to grow. Your energy and passion made every game unforgettable.

“I’m excited for what’s next in Dallas and can’t wait to get to work.”

3. Big men, big checks up front

The Cowboys add another mauler to their defense’s front line. And another highly-paid one, at that.

Williams joins Osa Odighizuwa and Kenny Clark on the Cowboys’ D-line, all three of them cashing in over $20 million per season.

Expensive as they may be, it’s hard to imagine any team in the NFL having an easy team running against the Cowboys.

4. Top-end pedigree

Williams was a four-star defensive tackle ranked just outside the top 150 nationally coming out of high school, according to 247Sports’ Class of 2016 rankings. He signed with Alabama and spent three seasons playing under legendary coach Nick Saban.

After redshirting his true freshman year, he played every game for the Crimson Tide the next two seasons, winning a national title at the end of the 2017 season and playing in another the following year. In his final collegiate season, Williams starred for Alabama, earning First Team All-America and All-SEC selections.

5. High draft pick

After his outstanding college career, Williams was selected third overall by the New York Jets in the 2019 NFL draft.

Ahead of him, the Cardinals selected former Allen and Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray at No. 1 and the 49ers took former Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa. Not bad company for Williams.

Williams has justified his high draft selection by becoming one of the best interior defensive lineman in the league. He has made the Pro Bowl the last three seasons in a row (2022-2024) and earned a First Team All-Pro nod in 2022.

6. Iconic pre-draft moment

If the name Quinnen Williams sounds familiar for non-football reasons, this viral video from an interview he gave before the 2019 NFL draft might be why.

That’s right. That’s a young Williams sneezing and then blessing and thanking himself afterward. Easy to see why the funny, but unusual moment got some traction online all those years.

7. Best of Bama

We saw it with Tyler Booker as well: The Nick Saban Alabama Football Factory was really something to behold.

Working under perhaps the greatest college football coach of all time clearly left an impression on Williams, who said immediately after his selection by the Jets that he spoke with Saban every day leading up to the draft

“Coach Saban’s been amazing, man,” Williams said in 2019. “Giving me advice every day since I declared. How to be a pro, what I need to look for, different things like that. Since I declared, I called Coach Saban every other day to learn from him, learn different things about the NFL, basically get a blueprint from him.”

Williams was one of many, many Crimson Tide players who came out of college immediately ready to step into the NFL — physically and mentally.

8. Caught himself

These guys come out of Tuscaloosa nice and media-trained. Williams regularly presents himself well publicly (see the sneezing video above), and even when he slips up, he catches himself.

See the video below from when Alabama took on Oklahoma and Kyler Murray in the Orange Bowl in 2018. Williams looked like he was about to share his true thoughts on Murray before the game … but immediately caught himself and thought better of it.

“I feel like Kyler Murray is not what everybody-” Williams started, before stopping dead and clearing his throat. “Nah, I’m good…”

9. He’s got a brother in the NFL

Quinnen’s older brother Quincy Williams is also in the NFL. Quincy, a linebacker, was drafted in the third round of the 2019 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After spending two seasons in Jacksonville, Quincy joined Quinnen on the Jets ahead of the 2021 season and the two had been consistent contributors for New York ever since. With Quinnen now headed to Dallas, the two Williams brothers will be playing for different teams for the first time since 2020.

10. Advanced stats darling

Williams is seemingly loved by the NFL’s advanced metrics.

Per Next Gen Stats, Williams has beaten 57 double teams to generate pressure since 2022, the most of anyone in the NFL in that span. His 190 total pressures during that span is fourth-most among defensive tackles.

Pro Football Focus, meanwhile, tags Williams as just one of two defensive interiors since 2022 whose rush grade and pass grade are both 85 or higher. He ranks third in PFF pressures over the past four seasons.

Watch: SportsDay’s Cowboys insiders break down Dallas’ big trade deadline strike