The Pro Bowl veteran Quinnen Williams is talking on the subject of the passing of Marshawn Kneeland (the personal part) and on his adjustment to moving to Dallas (the professional part) as the team arrives here in Las Vegas for 'Monday Night Footballl.'
LAS VEGAS - New Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has been thrown in the deep end with his new team - in a professional way and in a personal way.
After getting traded to the Cowboys from the New York Jets, Quinnen was in a new city, with new teammates, which can be challenging. But then the tragic news of Marshawn Kneeland's passing hit, and everything was turned upside down for everyone in the organization.
Here's the Pro Bowl veteran on the subject of the passing of Kneeland (the personal part) and on his adjustment to moving to Dallas (the professional part) ...
QUINNEN: THE PERSONAL Still dealing with the events of recent days, the Cowboys have to gear up to face the Las Vegas Raiders here on Monday night.
For Williams, when it comes to getting a feel for the locker room and the people he will be playing alongside, Kneeland's passing made the bond that much stronger.
But it also made Williams have a realization about himself as a person, too.
“It was unbelievable,” Williams said. “I always have to take a step back in my career, especially through this tragedy. To always think to myself, winning is everything to me, and I can sometimes get so deep inside myself, deep inside my game, and deep inside winning that I forget to build relationships with my teammates and build relationships with my coaching staff.
"Going through this tragedy with the guys in the organization, with the guys, grow as a human being, as a person too. You going to win Super Bowls, you going to win playoff games with the guys that you love next to you, and you can't love nobody next to you if you don't know them. So, it definitely taught me a lesson and definitely grew me as a man, as a person.”
With Williams seen as the new shiny defensive piece that is hoped to propel coordinator Matt Eberflus' unit to new heights after a poor start to the season, there is no shortage of pressure on Quinnen to hit the ground running.
QUINNEN: THE PROFESSIONAL Job 1 for the new guy? Get coordinator Matt Eberflus' playbook down pat.
Granted, the fact that Dallas was on a bye certainly helped, meaning Quinnen had a full two weeks to learn everything he needed to in preparation for Las Vegas on Monday night.
But Williams didn't need the full two weeks to learn everything; he only needed a day.
“It was definitely easy to catch up,” Williams said. “When it come down to football, I really trusted my football IQ, and the things that I can do, especially coming down to remembering the playbook, remembering what they want me to do, and it probably took me one or two days to get the whole playbook down and to come out here and just fit right in.
"You know me, I always say this all the time, and whatever coaching staff, whatever the scheme, whatever the team need me to do to win football games, I'm willing to do what I'm going to do because at the end of the day, I just want to win.”
With the Cowboys' defense getting tormented regularly, Williams, along with linebacker Logan Wilson, will be looked at to raise the floor of the defense in the second half of the season.
Williams wants to win, and he will be doing all he can to bring a whole new level of play to the Cowboys' defense that has been eaten alive so far in 2025.
Knowing the playbook and what is expected of him will no doubt help, and if Quinnen has already gotten everything learned, he should be able to play fast and free on Monday night, which will bode well for the 3-5-1 Cowboys.
But of course, football feels trivial right now, and Marshawn's passing, which was tragic, has seemingly made this locker room that much more together and tighter, with Williams doing some self-reflection in the process.
It won't get any easier for the 3-5-1 Cowboys, who will have heavy hearts on Monday night, but make no mistake, Kneeland will be on everyone's mind when they step foot on the field against the Raiders.
The challenge will be personal. The challenge will be professional.