Quinnen Williams just wasn't the player that Dallas Cowboys fans had become accustomed to seeing at the beginning of the season. Christian Parker hadn't exactly cultivated an environment for Williams and his teammates to thrive in just yet (and still hasn't), but Williams was actually part of the issue.
He wasn't winning pass-rush reps, he was missing tackles, and in a general sense, Williams was not making the impact that he did in 2025. It was a small sample size, to be fair, and he was surrounded by an underperforming pass rush, a mixed bag of a linebacker corps and a shaky secondary.
That is still the case, at least to a large extent. But Williams has made a complete 180 over the last couple of weeks compared to the start of the year, silencing a bevy of doubters who thought that the nearly 29-year-old defensive tackle had lost a step or wasn't worth his salt anymore.
And his attitude about this revival is the perfect message for a Cowboys team that needs to understand that good isn't good enough. If Brian Schottenheimer won't praise the right things in the locker room, then it needs to come from the players. Williams is providing just that.
Cowboys' Quinnen Williams has found himself again after rough start to 2026
Watching Williams in Weeks 1-3 was like watching a different player than the version he's put on the field in Weeks 4-7. Of course, numbers never tell the whole story, but they can paint a decent picture of how things have changed for him in recent games. (Stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus).
Quinnen Williams Stats | Weeks 1-3 | Weeks 4-7 |
|---|---|---|
Sacks | 0 | 3.0 |
Pressures | 8 | 13 |
Pass-Rush Win Rate (%) | 8.9 | 14.2 |
Stops | 4 | 10 |
Missed Tackles | 7 | 2 |
Night and day.
To be entirely fair, playing against teams with bad offensive lines, such as the Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, during the latter stretch helped Williams' cause. But he has dominated as he should, and Williams now has some momentum heading into a favorable stretch.
With the Cardinals, Colts, Titans and Eagles all on the docket over the next five weeks, Williams can continue his high level of play. A strong outing against the 49ers would also help disprove any narratives that Williams has struggled against high-level competition in 2026.
Dallas' entire front has been playing better in the wake of Williams' revival, especially the pass rush. His dominance on the inside has paved the way for the edge rushers to get home at least a little bit more often, and he has made life easier on a rotating linebacker corps in the run game.
When Williams brings his "A" game, the Cowboys' entire defense is light-years better because he is in the middle of it. And with the unit still struggling overall, they need to squeeze every bit they can out of Williams and hope that he continues to play like one of the NFL's best interior defenders.
And Dallas needs to soak up every word of what he's telling the media.
Quinnen Williams sends perfect message to Dallas teammates about his turnaround
Williams spoke to reporters on Thursday, just days after his monstrous four-tackle, three-tackle-for-loss, 1.0-sack showing on Monday Night Football against Philly. Of course, he was asked about his turnaround this season. And of course, Williams' attitude about it was perfect.
“I feel like I got some stuff I need to fine-tune, some things I need to fix," Williams told The Athletic's Jon Machota. "Just keep going in the right direction. Hopefully, soon, I’ll have that game that I feel like I’m myself soon."
If Week 7 wasn't a game in which Williams felt like himself, it'll be scary for the rest of the league when he does. And his humble take on his improvement is what this Cowboys defense needs; not game balls after getting walked down by Tanner McKee on several long drives.
As a former All-Pro, Williams has been to the individual mountaintop. He's played on elite defenses and knows what it looks like. And even in the aftermath of a great showing for him, Williams was not satisfied. His teammates should take note of that.
“I know exactly how it’s supposed to look, how it’s supposed to feel when I get there. ... I want to achieve that again. I want to be that player again. I got the ability. I got the guys around me and the scheme around me to do that. That’s the standard.”
His vote of confidence in his teammates and his coach is appreciated as well, but the fact that Williams is taking no moral victories after holding a battered Eagles offense to just 21 points is refreshing. Unfortunately, it is a bit different than what the approach and mindset has seemed to be.
But Williams has clearly figured it out on a personal level, and now it is about taking the rest of his teammates with him.
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