Since the trade deadline, the Dallas Cowboys have looked like a different team - and a big reason why wears No. 95 in the middle of that defensive line.
Quinnen Williams has been a force since arriving in Dallas, and it’s no coincidence the Cowboys haven’t lost a game since he suited up. The team came out of its Week 10 bye with a new edge, thanks in large part to two aggressive moves: trading for Williams and picking up linebacker Logan Wilson from Cincinnati in a savvy, cap-friendly deal. Both players have stepped in and made an immediate impact, but it’s Williams who’s become the heartbeat of a suddenly surging defense.
Let’s be clear: Dallas hasn’t just been winning - it’s been winning with defense. And that starts up front.
Williams has brought a level of disruption that’s changed the entire feel of this unit. The pass rush is more precise, the run defense more cohesive.
This is a team that’s often been boom-or-bust when it comes to consistency, but now they’re stacking wins behind a front that’s playing with purpose and physicality. And Williams?
He’s thriving in the thick of it.
“I just think I’m in the best position when it comes down to winning your 1-on-1s,” Williams said after practice. “And then I got guys around me like Kenny Clark and Osa [Odighizuwa] that take advantage of their 1-on-1s. Just the unit itself, it’s just firing on all cylinders and ballin’, so it helps me just go out there and do my job to the best of my ability.”
That’s not just a player giving the standard team-first answer. There’s real substance behind it.
Clark and Odighizuwa have been commanding their own attention, which often frees up Williams to work cleaner matchups. That kind of dynamic - where everyone’s winning their battles - creates a ripple effect across the defense.
The linebackers flow faster. The secondary plays with more confidence.
And the entire unit starts to hum.
Williams knows he walked into a good situation, and he’s not taking it for granted.
“I credit it all to being in a great room with a great group of guys,” he added.
When asked whether this is the best shot he’s had at a deep playoff run, Williams didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, it is,” he said with a laugh.
That answer says a lot. In New York, he was often the lone bright spot in a group that couldn’t quite put it all together.
In Dallas, he’s not just part of a contender - he’s helping elevate one. The Cowboys were already in the mix, but Williams has brought a new level of physicality and presence to the interior that’s made life easier for everyone around him.
Now, with the calendar flipping to December and the playoff picture starting to take shape, Williams and the Cowboys are staring down another big test: a Thursday night clash with the Detroit Lions in Week 14. It’s the kind of matchup that could have playoff implications - and it’s the kind of game where Williams’ impact could be the difference.
Because when the Cowboys’ defensive line is clicking like this, they’re not just hard to beat - they’re built to make a run.