By now, just about every Dallas Cowboys backer in the land is fully aware that things have not quite worked out for the team’s defense here in 2026, where they rank dead last in the NFL in stopping the run–they’ve given up 842 yards on the ground in five games–while also ranking last in the passer rating they allow opposing quarterbacks. If you’re playing against the Cowboys, pick a run, pick a pass, it doesn’t matter–you’ve got an excellent shot at success. For the leader of the defense, lineman Quinnen Williams, that’s a pretty tough fact to swallow.
That’s why Williams called a players-only meeting for the defense after the team was humbled by a banged-up Buccaneers team in Week 5, one that was starting undrafted free agent Jalon Daniels in place of Baker Mayfield.
Williams was asked a few different ways about the meeting, but said he would keep details and motivations “to myself.”
He did indicate that the unit’s confidence is sagging.
Said Williams: “I just think getting it back by executing, by making big plays, by getting stops, getting turnovers, celebrating. That’s how you get that swag back. That’s how you get that confidence back and going in the right direction by executing at a high level and playing the way we know we can play, at a high level.”
Quinnen Williams: ‘Full Accountability’ for Cowboys Defense
Ultimately, it is Williams who is supposed to be the Cowboys star on the defensive side, the putative replacement for Micah Parsons after he was traded more than a year ago. The Cowboys used one of the first-rounders from the Parsons deal to get Williams, and paid him a three-year, $106 million deal to be the team’s stalwart.
He has not done so, on the field (he has missed nine of 20 tackle attempts) or as a leader in the locker room. And on Thursday after practice, he accepted blame for the state of the team’s D.
Said Williams: “I take full personally responsibility for it. I look in the mirror at myself and know that I need to do better, play better. I take full accountability and I’m fully responsible for where this defense is going at the moment. I took a break this weekend and reset to learn and grow and focus on getting better.”
That will be tested no Sunday night against the Packers, an aggressive, attacking offense that appears to have awoken with 31 points against the Bears last week.
Cowboys Star Points to ‘Full Responsibility’ for Failures