The true point of the Cowboys' Quinnen Williams trade is lost on some, including ESPN's Seth Walder, who called Jerry Jones move "foolish.''
LAS VEGAS - Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
That is what the Dallas Cowboys might be feeling - if they're reading the press clippings - in the aftermath of their trade for All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
There has been blowback on the move, with some misguided folks entirely missing the point of the trade.
The facts from inside The Star: With Williams contracted beyond 2025, this was a move made to be better now, to be sure ... but also with 2026 and beyond in mind.
Again: Yes, the hope is that Williams will help in 2025, but the trade wasn't made with the sole intention of turning this season into a Super Bowl success.
But it appears that is lost on some, including ESPN's Seth Walder, who called Jerry Jones' team's trade for Williams "foolish.''
"Don't tell Jerry Jones, but his foolish trade for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is unlikely to catapult the Cowboys to the playoffs," Walder wrote, assigning the team a ridiculous "F'' grade. "Dallas had potential this season, especially knowing how well Dak Prescott has played (second in QBR, 75.2) and how well the George Pickens acquisition has worked out.
"But the defense has let down the Cowboys, and the Williams deal happened too late to move the 2025 needle."
Dude.
I can promise you that Jerry knows that this move for Williams isn't going to be the needle-mover his 3-5-1 team needs to make the playoffs.
I can promise that because (unless some folks at ESPN?) ... I've asked.
Critics wanted Dallas to make a move; the franchise did.
And now many of those people have condemned the franchise for it.
The Cowboys can't win. And as I'm in the midst of being buried by "the nationals and the casuals,'' I can barely keep up.
Given there are so many holes in this defense, you have to start the rebuild somewhere. Are there four flat tires here? Then you repair 'em ... one by one.
Why not get a head start with a player like Williams, whom you can build the defense around?
There is a hidden truth as to why many fail to see the Williams move for what it really is, an early step in a 2026 defensive rebuild. And I'll put that truth to you this way ...
The Bills and the Jaguars are among the other teams that tried to pry Williams away from the Jets. Had either of those two non-Jerry franchise succeeded ... You think ESPN would've assigned them an "F''?