Every year, some NFL teams prove to be greater than the sum of their parts. Look at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for an example. On paper, the roster isn’t anything special but they won 10 games anyway and very nearly advanced to the NFC Divisional round for the second straight year.
Other teams, like the New York Jets, are the exact opposite. Despite boasting some of the league’s best players at multiple positions, the Jets won just five games in 2024. The fans are hoping that a new head coach and general manager will finally maximize the talent they have in 2025, but that hasn't been the case in recent years.
One of these elite players is defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who recently landed in the Top 5 of all NFL defensive tackles according to an ESPN ranking. To get this list, ESPN anonymously polled executives, coaches, and scouts around the NFL to get their opinions. Williams, who landed at No. 5, was ranked as high as No. 3 but no lower than No. 8. About Williams, one NFL personnel said, “True three-down player. Talented inside rusher who is fully capable against the run.”
An AFC executive didn’t quite agree about that last part, suggesting that Williams gets pushed around in the run game, but another NFL coordinator appears to brush off that concern by noting, “He’s a guy you have to dedicate a game plan to. One of the most complete interior guys in the game.”
This is high praise indeed for Williams and it’s absolutely deserved. Williams is a three-time Pro Bowler, winning the award in each of the last three seasons. Since being selected third overall in the 2019 NFL draft Williams has been a force in the NFL, never finishing a year with less than 5 sacks since his rookie season. He did have a slight regression in 2024, but that was more likely the result of organizational incompetence following the firing of Robert Saleh than a genuine step back for Williams.
The best part for Jets fans is that he’s done all this without much in the way of competent coaching. With head coach Aaron Glenn now in place, the team is expected to take a big leap forward in 2025, especially on the defensive side. Even after a dominant, 12-sack season in 2022, the best could be yet to come for Quinnen Williams, and that’s got to be exciting for the fans.