If there is one thing the Dallas Cowboys do not much need just now, after having lost two defensive starters in each of the first two weeks of the season–safety Malik Hooker and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown in Week 1, followed by cornerback Cobie Durant and safety PJ Locke in Week 2–it’s another injury to a key defender. Already, the defense has not been quite what the Cowboys had hoped to open the season under new coordinator Christian Parker, so more personnel losses would be tough to swallow. Arguably, there is no one more important to the structure of this defense than lineman Quinnen Williams.
And on Monday, concerns were raised that Williams might himself be battling an injury. He referenced one on Sunday evening after the Cowboys’ win over Washington, and his performance on the field does seem to signal that something’s not right.
‘Something Going On’ With Cowboys Quinnen Williams?
The initial speculation on a Williams injury came from Cowboys analyst John Owing in a video he posted on Twitter/X. He wrote, “Wonder if something is going on with Big Q that the public doesn’t know yet because there’s no way he should get catapulted off his spot by Brandon Coleman of all people like this. He was also slow to get up on a few different occasions as well. #Cowboys“
He posted video of the play, too.
That caused Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News to chime in with, “FWIW: Cowboys DT Quinnen Williams did say after the game that he was ‘a little banged up’ during Sunday’s game.” Indeed, Williams did say that in his meeting with the media when he was asked about taking himself out of the game a few times: “I was just kinda a little banged up. Just trying to–yeah, got a little banged up.”
Quinnen Williams Getting Poor Grades
Certainly, the value of Pro Football Focus grades can be debated, but at the very least, the numbers the site comes up with offer some reflection of the quality of play of a player, and for Williams, that has been way down. Through two games, his PFF grade is 49.1, which is No. 85 out of 115 defensive linemen.
That is by far a career low. In fact, he was at 88.7 on his PFF grade last season, which was the No. 2 grade among defensive linemen in the NFL.
Cowboys Defense Not a ‘Finished Product’
But the Cowboys defense, as a whole, has been a work in progress. The hope is that Williams can progress toward health.
Said coach Brian Schottenheimer: “We don’t feel like we have a finished product. I think there’s a lot of things to clean up. … But like I said, the one thing I’ll say about the defense and CP this week was, they were like this, man. They didn’t blink. I’ve been in a tough situation like that before as a young coordinator and not sure and you’re taking a lot of bullets. He didn’t blink and that’s a sign of a competitor that has a very, very bright future.”
Cowboys ‘Banged Up’ Defensive Star Raises New Injury Worries