The Cowboys traded for Williams mid-season, and his signing now gives the defense someone to build around this offseason.
The Dallas Cowboys' defense was disastrous, and Matt Eberflus lost his job as a result.
But the Cowboys did their best to address it early in the season.
Jerry Jones traded for New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson.
And we saw an uptick in the defense's performance.
The Cowboys managed wins over the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs in consecutive weeks, with Williams being a monster in the middle of the defensive line.
The move was worth it.
However, the defense overall only saw a sugar hit, with the Cowboys' deficiencies plaguing them to the point that they gave up 30+ points in nine games in 2025.
But Williams proved to be the big war daddy Dallas needed.
And for PFF's Thomas Vallentine, in naming the most improved player in the NFL at every position, when it comes to defensive tackle, he's named Quinnen.
"His 2025 season was split into two halves: what he did with the Jets, and then what he did with the Cowboys after he was traded for a first-round pick at the trade deadline," Valentine wrote.
"The results were similar: Williams was back. His 91.7 PFF run-defense grade was dominant, leading all defensive tackles. From Week 11 onward, Williams tallied 32 pressures, the fourth-most among defensive tackles, as well as an 89.6 overall PFF grade."
With Williams anchoring the defensive line in 2026, he gives the Cowboys something to build around.
The run defense improved for a five-week stretch before things returned to their normal 2025 state. But there was enough to suggest that the trade for Williams was worth it.
What he can do in the run game, he can equally do in the passing game, as his pressures from Valentine's piece suggest. The fourth-most. That'll do.
So that has to be something the Cowboys look to build around this offseason, and let's not forget that the franchise has two first-round picks to help fortify the unit.
Many thought that the move for Williams was for 2025, but we know it wasn't all on that.
This was a move for the future, and we saw the impact he made in his handful of games. Now, with a new coordinator and a full offseason, what Quinnen could do for Dallas in 2026 is a tantalizing thought.
The Cowboys appeared to go a long way to fixing their run defense issues. Now they have to solve their linebacker and secondary problems.
Quinnen fixed a lot of things, but he couldn't do it himself.
In 2026, the defense will likely be built around No. 92, and that isn't a bad idea.