FRISCO, Texas — Only hours after suffering a disappointing loss to the Arizona Cardinals at home to fall to 3-5-1 on the season, big changes that were promised began landing — both literally and figuratively speaking — as Quinnen Williams, arguably the best defensive tackle in the NFL was acquired by the Dallas Cowboys via trade with the New York Jets.
It's a blockbuster deal of highest order, and it adds a ton of breadth to the addition of linebacker Logan Wilson, in a trade that occurred only hours prior, in presumably upgrading the league's worst defense in spectacular fashion.
The shockwaves from the moves instantly landed on the front porch of Mazi Smith, the former first-round pick being sent to the Jets in the Williams' trade package, ending an unfortunate stretch with the Cowboys since entering the league in 2022, one that included several stints on the team's inactives list (most recently in Week 9).
As for those still on the roster in Dallas, things are about to change for all involved at the defensive tackle and linebacker positions.
Pull up a chair and let's get into the science of it all.
Q'winning
Williams is a force of nature on the defensive interior, a former third-overall pick (2019) out of Alabama who ascended to the ranks of First-Team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler who instantly generates some very real questions regarding the rotation there. The club awarded Osa Odighizuwa a multi-year extension this past offseason before signing Solomon Thomas to a two-year deal to rotate with Odighizuwa at the 3-tech position (right of center).
The trade that sent Micah Parsons to the Packers gained the Cowboys three-time Pro Bowler Kenny Clark who, like Williams and Odighizuwa, are under contract for the foreseeable future — through 2027 for Clark and Williams, and through 2028 for Odighizuwa, barring an extension being granted to Clark and/or Williams prior to the expiration of their existing deals.
Thomas stands to still be highly involved though, evidenced by the decision to start him over Odighizuwa against the Cardinals. He's been more consistent this season than not, but he will undoubtedly take a back seat to Clark and Williams and, to a degree, so might Odighizuwa.
This isn't to say it's solely the Clark and Williams show, however, because it isn't and that's the beauty of the problem defensive coordinator Matt Eberfus and defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton (who is also a reason Perrion Winfrey is in Dallas, so don't forget about him, either) as his reunion with Williams was a key driver toward the deal being done in the first place, will contend with. They will continue to develop rookie draft pick Jay Toia, more allowable now that they have four veterans in front of him who have skins on the wall as gamebreakers that he could also learn from.
On game day, count on Clark and Williams being the starting defensive tackles, and Odighizuwa and Thomas getting plenty of burn to keep each of them fresh over the course of four quarters.
Don't rule out Eberflus potentially running more 5DL (five defensive linemen) fronts, either. It's something they do from time to time, giving a smaller Odighizuwa and Thomas a chance to get on the field (going forward) with Clark and Williams, though that creates the dilemma of if you pull a linebacker or defensive back off of the field to do it.
It's something to keep an eye on, though.
Set splits through pre-trade:
- 5 DL, 2 LB, 4 DB: 21 plays, 57% success rate, 0 TDs allowed
- 5 DL, 1 LB, 5 DB: 10 plays, 50% success rate, 1 TD allowed
To this point, the Cowboys ran the 5DL front on 24 occasions in Week 9, having deployed it only six times prior.
Expect an uptick in that category going forward, is what I'm telling you.
What should also be considered here is the fact Thomas suffered a calf injury in the loss to the Cardinals and while the hope is the bye week will give him an opportunity to resume play against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 11, that's not promised at the moment, and any time missed will be absorbed by the addition of Williams — the gift that already keeps on giving.
Interior Decorator
Did I mention Williams is also one of the best pass rushers from the interior, one that's 40 career sacks, five of his seven seasons having no fewer than five of them and, in 2022, how he racked up a total of 12 sacks in 16 starts … as a defensive tackle?
That's provocative. It gets the people going.
Another gift from Williams will be the improved play on the edges by virtue of the upgraded interior, something that should only help rookie second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku reach his NFL groove that much more quickly, coming along very nicely and impacting games through the first nine of his career, and Jadeveon Clowney has officially found his groove as well, his outing against Arizona having looked peak for the still-capable veteran.
Outstanding play by the defensive line will help the linebackers play more effectively, by the way, and as should Wilson when he straps on his helmet for the Cowboys going forward.
Here's an excerpt from my newser on the acquisition of Wlson and what he brings to the table:
Wilson, 29, is a former third-round pick of the Bengals in 2020, earning his way into the league by way of the University of Wyoming — where he earned First-Team All-MW honors. More importantly for the Cowboys, however, is the fact he serves as a potential upgrade to what ails them in the linebackers' room.
Combining him with the looming, post-bye return of DeMarvion Overshown, in conjunction with an up-and-comer in Marist Liufau and Shemar James, could potentially have things looking up somewhat for the heart of the Cowboys' defense. The team moved Jack Sanborn to injured reserve just this past weekend, and Wilson marks the second trade at linebacker this calendar year for Dallas, the first being to acquire Kenneth Murray in the offseason from the Tennessee Titans.
Wilson has 76 career games and 65 NFL starts under his belt and they're not empty reps, considering he's also produced 541 combined tackles and, hinting largely at his ability to cover, 11 interceptions through his first five-plus seasons in the league; and he is just two seasons removed from a career-high four interceptions racked up for the Bengals in 2023.
Also not known for often missing stretches of time due to injury, he should serve as a welcome addition to a defense that continues to be gnawed upon by the injury bug. My belief is that Wilson pushes for reps previously reserved for Murray, simply because it appears the Cowboys are invested in keeping rookie linebacker Shemar James off of the leash, leading me to believe the primary three-man rotation might feature Wilson, Overshown and James with Murray getting his time on the field as needed.
There's a bit of redundancy between Wilson and Murray, but Wilson is more polished and effective in coverage, and seeing as the secondary behind them is having a hard time with that, it would help to have a linebacker who can do it.
There is no redundancy at all, however, when it comes to Overshown, because there's no one else on the team like him when he's healthy and in top form. He's a game changer at linebacker, making it a no-brainer that the two starters — Eberflus prefers 2LB sets to keep three cornerbacks on the field for nickel base — will be Wilson and Overshown.
It doesn't matter how you choose to view it, compare that to what the LB depth chart looked like a few weeks ago and, yes, that's a serious upgrade once Overshown is back up to speed; and seeing as Wilson is under contract through the 2027 season.
Does that sound familiar? It should, because that's the same timeline for the contracts tied to Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams, so let's talk about the money implications next.
I know you want to.
Cap or No Cap
Looking for the obligatory "it's a good thing they didn't pay Micah Parsons because now they c-"
… *slaps M&Ms out of your hand*...
I promise you're in the wrong place for that when the byline belongs to me. The Cowboys were prepared to pay Parsons earlier this past offseason, and it would've saved them nearly $20 million in 2025 to do so, blah blah blah, let's key in on what's happening right now.
Below are the coming cap hits in 2026 for the three most recent trade acquisitions, but also for Odighizuwa, and where the Cowboys stand at the moment with their space:
[note: all figures are via OverTheCap.com]
Cap space (as of November 4, 2025): $20.3 million
- Kenny Clark, DT: $21.5 million
- Quinnen Williams, DT: $21.8 million
- Osa Odigizuwa, DT: $20.8 million
- Logan Wilson, LB: $6.5 million
For housekeeping purposes, please note that the $20.3 million in current space does take into account the addition of both Williams and Wilson, and the math tells us the Cowboys are on the hook for roughly $64 million in 2026 to their defensive tackle position alone, and that simply won't do.
Oh no! What ever are they to do?! How will they be able to offer an extension to George Pickens??!!
*Macaulay Culkin face slap*
Breathe, put the pie down and watch this.
Extensions: Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams
- Total cap savings (2026): $30.9 million ($15.3 million + $15.6 million, respectively)
Restructure: Osa Odighizuwa
- Total cap savings (2026): $12 million
That's $42 million in cap savings in 2026 in only three moves, and depending upon how the potential extensions are constructed, there's a way for the Cowboys to also gain upwards of $40 million for 2027 by pulling those triggers now and not waiting and, let's be honest, after what it took to land Clark and Williams in the first place, there is zero reason to not work to get these deals done before or early in the offseason to come.
Should they achieve those missions, and also roll over the complete existing $20 million space from 2025, that's a minimum of $50 million in cap space — $62 million if Odighizuwa is also restructured — without yet accounting for the annual increase to the league's overall salary cap that will add millions more in available space to the salary cap pot by default.
That's more than enough to get a deal done with Pickens, or to absorb a franchise tag on him if the deal requires more time to get done, seeing as the projected tag for a receiver is expected to be around $24 million fully guaranteed for 2026.
Is $50 million more than $24 million? Rhetorical question, obviously, and you get my point: money is only a problem if you make it one.
But while that's all being sorted, Williams is a problem right now, for every offensive line that tries to stop him from the meal waiting in the opposing backfield because, after all, the big man does love his food.
