Cowboys' 'floodgates' will open up after Quinnen Williams trade

The Dallas Cowboys made perhaps the deal of the trade deadline day, making a move for New York Jets All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, and parting ways with a second-round pick in 2026, a first-round pick in 2027, and Mazi Smith.

So there was a lot of moving and shaking at The Star, as Matt Eberflus now gets Williams, along with linebacker Logan Wilson, who was acquired from the Cincinnati Bengals, to help improve his horrific defense.

While Wilson was a shrewd pick-up, all eyes are naturally on Williams, and for fellow defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey, he knows that with Quinnen on the field, everything will open up for Dallas.

“I feel like everything that we have in front of us is still in front of us,” Winfrey said. “We still have a lot of things that we're capable of and a lot of things that we could be great at for sure, and with Quinnen coming, I feel like the doors are just opening up. Floodgates going to open up for sure.”

More: Cowboys have interesting response to Mazi Smith trade

Cowboys must now go on playoff run

At 3-5-1, Dallas looks anything but a playoff team, and the good thing about the trades for Wilson and Williams is that both players will be around beyond 2025.

But as it pertains to this year, the Cowboys making the playoffs is a tall order, because after the Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas faces the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, and the Kansas City Chiefs in a brutal three-week stretch.

The margin for error is slim, and that is a horror stretch the Cowboys have to navigate. You would think that two wins from those three games will be needed, and right now, that doesn't seem feasible based on what we saw against the Arizona Cardinals.

Still, with Williams and Wilson in tow, this defense now has some firepower, but I'm not sure if it will be enough to secure playoff football this season.

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