The Dallas Cowboys have acquired Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets before the trade deadline on Tuesday.

According to ESPN, the Cowboys gave up a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith in exchange for Williams. Additionally, the 2027 pick going to the Jets will be the better of the Cowboys' two first-round picks that year.

During the offseason, the Cowboys reportedly discussed acquiring Williams in a potential trade for Micah Parsons. The deal fell through when the Jets disclosed that they did not have the cap space to sign Parsons to a mega-contract. Eventually, Parsons was traded to the Green Bay Packers.

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer shared his excitement about the trade.

"It's exciting. Kudos to Jerry and Stephen (Jones) and Will (McClay), and I think being aggressive but smart because (it's) a couple of the moves we made you're getting guys not just for this year, but beyond, which I think is great," Schottenheimer said. "It gets you excited as a coach, and I think it's two terrific players, but also terrific young men."

Drafted third overall by the New York Jets in 2019, Williams established himself as one of the top interior defensive linemen. His collegiate career at Alabama was highly decorated, culminating in a CFP national champion title and the Outland Trophy as the nation's best interior lineman in 2018. 

In the NFL, Williams earned  First-team All-Pro honors in 2022 and was selected to the Pro Bowl three times (2022–2024). Throughout his career, he has accumulated a significant number of total tackles and sacks, with a career-high of 12.0 sacks in the 2022 season, demonstrating his consistent dominance against both the run and the pass. 

Currently, the Cowboys are 3-5-1 and have lost three of their last four games.