The Dallas Cowboys were one of the most aggressive teams at the NFL trade deadline, making one of the most surprising deals of the afternoon. Just one day after a 27-17 shocking home loss to the Arizona Cardinals, they traded a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and former first-round pick DT Mazi Smith to the New York Jets to get star DT Quinnen Williams.
Most people would be thrilled if their team acquired one of the best defensive tackles in the game. Then again, sports analyst Bill Simmons can’t fathom why the Cowboys would do such a move, considering that they don’t seem to have much of a shot to make a deep postseason run.
Bill Simmons Rips Cowboys After Trading for Quinnen Williams
Talking to Shail Kapadia of The Ringer, Simmons didn’t hold back on the move:
“Dallas is drunk,” Simmons started. “This is one of the worst– this Dallas trade is f*cking bonkers. This is like a crazy NBA trade from the 2000s. If I was a Cowboys fan, my head would be doing 360s. You’re 3-5-1, you’ve no chance to do anything in the playoffs. What are you doing?”
According to our PFN impact metrics, Williams has been the tenth-most impactful player at his position this year with an 82.7 grade. However, he also comes with a massive contract, with more than $50 million still in the books.
The Cowboys haven’t been the most consistent team in the league this season, especially on defense, so this wasn’t the type of move most teams below .500 would make.
Nevertheless, team owner/GM Jerry Jones knows he’s not getting any younger, and he wants to win another title while he’s still there.
“I have a natural urgency because of my age. My immediate tomorrows are a big thing to me,” Jones said Monday, per Jon Machota.
Moreover, the renowned business mogul also took the blame for the team’s struggles, acknowledging that he hasn’t always made the best decisions:
“I’m satisfied that I can make good decisions. I’ve made some bad decisions, obviously, being trite,” Jones continued. “I am supremely responsible for where we are right now. There is no question about that. I accept that. That doesn’t deter me from wanting to get it done and get it done now this year.”
Jones and the Cowboys lost a franchise cornerstone in Micah Parsons before the start of the season, and while Williams won’t do the same or play the same position, trading for him might be a way to compensate for that loss.
There’s plenty of football to be played this season, and Williams should be able to help turn their struggling run defense around. At the end of the day, all moves are a gamble. But given this team’s record and salary cap situation, this may have been a risk they couldn’t afford to take.
