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Stephen A. confused by Swagu’s jubilation over Cowboys’ Quinnen Williams trade (2:17)

Stephen A. Smith mocks Marcus Spears and Cowboys fans for celebrating the trade for Quinnen Williams from the Jets. (2:17)

Todd ArcherNov 5, 2025, 02:25 PM ET

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Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010.

FRISCO, Texas – After losing 75 of 108 games over seven seasons with the New York Jets, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has one wish with the Dallas Cowboys.

“I’m hungry to win,” Williams said Wednesday, a day after he was acquired for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. “That’s the main thing. I’m an ultimate competitor, man. Everything I do is about winning. Everything I do, everything I work [for]. When I wake up, man, I just want to win. So that kind of forms my ego of I can do anything the coaches asked me to do if it’s going to get us a win.”

The Cowboys are 3-5-1 and out of the playoff mix at the moment, and they have not won a Super Bowl since 1995. However, from 2021 to 2023, they posted three straight 12-5 records and made the playoffs.

Williams’ teams in New York never won more than seven games in a season as he played for four head coaches: Adam Gase, Robert Saleh, Jeff Ulbrich (interim) and Aaron Glenn.

“They knew I was frustrated. I think the world knew I was frustrated being there so long and still losing,” Williams said. “But like I say, any ultra competitor, man, any guy who plays this game to win is going to be frustrated no matter if you win 100 games and lose that one or when I was at Bama, I went 16-1 and lost the national championship, I was frustrated.”

Williams praised Glenn and Jets general manager Darren Mougey, saying their relationship was “never broken.”

“I still believe in what AG is doing there is going to be great for those guys,” Williams said. “And the leadership that he has and the things that he’s doing there is doing to be great for those guys, and the way that Darren has handled everything there is going to be great.”

The move to Dallas reunites Williams with his former defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton, under whom he became an All-Pro and Pro Bowler. The Cowboys defense ranks 31st in yards and points per game allowed. They have allowed at least 84 rushing yards in every game this season.

But they believe Williams, whom they played against Oct. 5, is a major upgrade.

“He’s just a difference-maker, the ability to affect the interior part of the pocket from a pass-rush standpoint,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “For us, there’s certain calls you make, you’re very aware he’s in the game because he’s so disruptive. We had alerting calls when he was out of the game, we had to set protections based on him. You guys see it. You see the talent. I love the play style, just the way the guy plays and the way the guy runs to the football.”

Williams will have to wait to make his Cowboys debut since they are on their bye week. The Jets were off last week, so Williams will go 22 days between games with the Cowboys playing the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 17.

“It’s definitely weird. It’s my first time getting traded, so it’s definitely weird,” Williams said. “I’m definitely attacking it like it’s a game week for me; I’m just not playing on Sunday. I’m prepping, working out, training, conditioning hard like I’m preparing for a game, because I did have a bye last week. I’m trying to stay in game shape and doing the things that are necessary.

“When it’s time for me to suit up and be ready for the Cowboys, I’ll be ready.”