FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday that Quinnen Williams is a great fit in defensive coordinator Christian Parker’s scheme. He also said Williams is still adjusting to it, two games into the defensive tackle’s first full season in Dallas.
Dallas acquired Williams from the New York Jets on Nov. 4, 2025, for defensive tackle Mazi Smith, a 2026 second-round pick, and a 2027 first-round pick. He later signed a three-year, $105.9 million extension that runs through 2030.
Williams, 28, was the No. 3 overall pick in 2019 out of Alabama. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2022 and has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last four seasons. Parker, 34, is the youngest defensive coordinator in franchise history and came to Dallas from the Philadelphia Eagles staff.
Schottenheimer said some calls ask Williams to play what Dallas calls gap and a half, fitting and holding the B gap before he reacts.
“I think it’s a great fit,” Schottenheimer said. “I understand the question. I think right now we haven’t played well enough on defense, but when Quinnen Williams knows he’s getting singled, I think that’s a good thing for us. We have times where he has to play gap and a half, as we call it, so he’s got to fit and hold the B gap, and then he’s going to react. We have those, but we also have times where we allow him to take his shot.”
“I think it’s more of just it being new to the system,” Schottenheimer continued. “He’s played in this system before at Alabama. There are certainly some of the best defensive tackles in the league, which we think Quinnen is, that are in this system. One’s 30-something years old, just came back to LA a couple weeks ago. He’s in this system. Jalen Carter’s in this system. So I think it’s more of Quinnen’s a great player, and he’s going to find his way in the system.”
Dallas Cowboys Defensive Tackle Rotation
Dallas traded Osa Odighizuwa to the San Francisco 49ers and Solomon Thomas to the Tennessee Titans in March. Kenny Clark starts next to Williams. Otito Ogbonnia, free-agent signee Jonathan Bullard, and rookie LT Overton, a fourth-round pick out of Alabama, are in the rotation.
Against Baltimore, the job belongs to everybody up front, including the players who rotate in, Schottenheimer said.
“I think it’s all the guys up front, quite honestly,” Schottenheimer explained. “I think it’s Kenny. I think it’s Quinnen. I think it’s Tito. I think it’s the guys that roll in there. It’s Bullard. It’s Tito. Overton. It’s all those guys because if you don’t create a wall, that’s what you talk about, building a wall. If you don’t build a wall, you’re going to have seams. And this is a big physical running team that we’re going to be playing in Rio.”
Dallas Cowboys Run Defense Before Derrick Henry
The Cowboys allowed 165 rushing yards in the 28-20 loss to the New York Giants on Sept. 13. Dallas gave up 125.5 rushing yards per game in 2025.
Derrick Henry has 212 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns in two games for the Baltimore Ravens. Kickoff at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro is 3:25 p.m. CT Sunday on CBS.
