No matter how you slice it, whatever progress has been made on the Dallas Cowboys defense, which was the focus of the team’s entire offseason starting with the hiring of defensive coordinator Christian Parker, that progress has been accompanied by equal regression that has left the team in much the same place as it was a year ago. There’s time to change that, of course, but one of the big concerns that has emerged is whether Parker’s system adequately suits the players in whom the team has invested the most–especially All-Pro defensive lineman Quinnen Williams.
So far, the season has been a struggle for Williams, and it’s hard to get a solid answer as to why. It’s been suggested he is injured, but team owner Jerry Jones flatly denied that (Williams himself said he is, “a little banged up”), and more recently it has been suggested the Williams is just not the right fit in the new-look Cowboys alignment.
Cowboys Paying Big Bucks for Linemen
That’s worrisome. The Cowboys invested in bringing Parker from the Eagles and making him a coordinator at age 34. They also invested heavily in Williams, with a three-year, $106 million deal signed last month. Both should be big parts of the team’s future, and if they do not mesh at the moment, that had better change.
Fixing the interior defensive line has been Jones’ biggest investment since the Micah Parsons trade. Williams will make an average of $35.3 million per year, which is the second-most among interior linemen. Kenny Clark is at $21.3 million. Jones often cites Pro Football Focus grades when sizing up players, and at this point, Clark is the No. 73 defensive lineman out of 120 in the NFL, and Williams is No. 88 in PFF rankings.
Jones, himself, though, is not quite as worried about the scheme and Williams’ role in it as many of the observers and analysts who cover the Cowboys. That’s notable, at least, because he will be the one signing Williams’ paychecks.
Jerry Jones Remains Bullish on Quinnen Williams
Asked about Williams this week, Jones backed him, even as the Cowboys scheme questions bubble up. He took the same line on Clark, who plays alongside Williams and has not been much better in his role under Parker.
Said Jones: “Quinnen Williams is just one of the best players in the entire league, period. He’s certainly one of the best on the interior line in the league. Kenny Clark has the reputation because of how consistent he is at a high level. That gives us cornerstones in the middle. And, boy, we’ve got some guys that are coming in and out that are going to get better. You can build from that.”
Cowboys Back Struggling $106 Million Star Amid New Questions