EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - JANUARY 05: Quinnen Williams #95 of the New York Jets takes the field before the game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on January 05, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
(Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Quinnen Williams #95 of the New York Jets takes the field before the game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on January 05, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
It’s likely that the Cowboys would have made the major trade this week for Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams no matter who was defensive line coach, of course. But the fact that Dallas brought in Aaron Whitecotton from New York before the start of this season and subsequently made the deal for Williams should help make for a smooth transition.
Whitecotton had gone to the Jets from the 49ers along with former coach Robert Saleh, and though Williams had already been with New York–he was the No. 3 pick in the 2019–Whitecotton helped him up his game.
Whitecotton is looking forward to the reunion.
“I’m excited. Obviously we have a history together,” he said this week. “It was a good history. He’s a phenomenal person, phenomenal player. He’s a hard worker. I was telling coach, he’s probably the most humble and hard-working top three pick I’ve ever been around in my whole life. He just comes to work every single day with a hard hat mentality. That’s exciting as anything, the kind of person he is, on top of the incredible talent you get.”
Quinnen Williams: Cowboys’ Whitecotton ‘Has Been Unbelievable’
Williams is looking forward to it, too. As he pointed out, he established himself as a solid D-lineman in the league in his first two seasons, but in his fourth year, after having been coached for two seasons with Whitecotton in charge of the defensive linemen’s room in New York, he became an All-Pro.
“I think anybody can look at the resume, like, before I had Whitecotton, I was kind of ascending to be a good defensive tackle but once Whitecotton came into my life as a coach, man I became an All-Pro and a Pro Bowler,” Williams said. “The techniques that he has taught me, the things he has done for me, in my career when it comes down to coaching and stuff, like that has been unbelievable and kind of transcended my career to this day. So being paired back with him, I know the sky’s the limit.”
Cowboys Defensive Front Should Benefit
Of course, it’s not only Williams in the Cowboys’ defensive line group. The team has Kenny Clark having returned from injury as well as Osa Odighizuwa, who has struggled lately but might well have played his best game this season against the Cardinals on Monday.
The hope is that the Cowboys’ remade defensive front will be a strength going forward.
“Not only for me, but for this group also,” Williams said. “Because a lot of these guys in this line room, first year with Whitecotton also. I know the things he has done for me and the things he has helped me out with to be the player that I am to this day, he can help that whole group out.”
Quinnen Williams Known for Work Ethic
And that’s where Whitecotton’s focus is, too. The reunion is nice, but it won’t mean much if the Cowboys’ defense can’t pull its act together and start improving on the 3-5-1 record it’s put forth thus far.
Getting Williams to work with this unit won’t be tough, Whitecottton said.
“I know Quinnen. We spent every day together for four years, basically, except for the summer,” he said. “So I know him, I know what he brings, there’s not a lot to think about in that situation. My sole focus now is, what do we need to do to get better?”
He said he knows Williams won’t shortchange the team on effort.
“You see him make plays, everybody sees him make plays. The Pro Bowls, he’s been an All-Pro, that’s on display,” Whitecotton said. “But behind the scenes, how he works, how he approaches the game, I think that it was a window I had into him for four years that not everybody else had.”