SAN FRANCISCO – For the fourth straight year, Quinnen Williams earned a spot in the Pro Bowl, this time representing the Cowboys.
Williams played seven games for Dallas after being traded to the Cowboys from the Jets at the trade deadline in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick and DT Mazi Smith.
As he heads into his first full offseason with the Cowboys, there'll be a new staff coaching him led by new defensive coordinator Christian Parker and new defensive line coach Marcus Dixon, who Williams is looking forward to getting to know.
"It's pretty cool, man," Williams told reporters of Parker's hiring. "I got to get a chance to really settle down and talk to him and see what he wants out of me, see kind of how he feels and the things he wants to achieve and accomplish, and same on my side. It'll be an amazing opportunity, amazing chance to get a chance to learn and grow and develop and get this defense going in the right direction."
While it's yet to be seen what a Christian Parker led defense looks like, the track record of each of the team's he's coached and their success on defense as a unit stood out to Williams.
"Just the winning culture that he's been a part of, the winning standards that he's been a part of, and the group of guys he's been a part of," Williams said. "He's been a part of a lot of great group of defensive linemen especially being at Denver, being at the Eagles with Jalen Carter and those guys, and seeing those guys develop. The way Jordan Davis played this year, the way those guys played this year."
"Knowing that he comes from a winning culture, a winning standard under Vic [Fangio] and his staff, it'll kind of be great to see and great to be a part of."
While the new staff led by Parker is exciting, the Cowboys parting ways with defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton, who had been with Williams since his days with the Jets, was bittersweet.
"It's definitely tough to see Whitecotton go," Williams said. "But he's going to a great defensive line room. Jeffery Simmons is one of the best, T'Vondre Sweat is probably one of the best I feel like. Going with coach Whitecotton and that group, coach [Robert] Saleh in that group, it's going to be really dope."
After the Pro Bowl, Williams' focus shifts to the offseason where he'll look to do whatever he can to help turn Dallas' defense around, and he believes the Cowboys have the defensive personnel pieces to do it.
"Just develop, man," Williams said of his offseason focus. "Just get better, develop, do the things I can do to help this defense, especially the new coaching staff. Now that we're all together, it's one of our own first offseasons together, so it's going to be dope to be able to grow and develop with everyone and get this thing changed around. We have a phenomenal offense, a lot of those guys are coming back, and a phenomenal defense player-wise. Put everything together, get everything going in the right direction."
