Jerry Jones finally gave Dallas Cowboys fans what they’d been begging for. The addition of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson will only strengthen the shaky defense that’s been leaking all season. Both are set to debut this week, and Wilson has already seen enough in practice to know Dallas got the real thing.

“Yeah, I’ve talked to him a little bit. He’s as good as advertised, these last couple days in practice. He’s a force to be reckoned with. I think some of the coaches that are here were some of his coaches when he was in New York, so that helps with his terminology. So I think he’s going to continue to do great things,” Wilson said about Quinnen Williams.

None of that comes as a surprise. Williams has been one of the best interior defensive linemen in football for a while now. The Cowboys haven’t had this kind of presence in the middle in years. And it won’t be a stretch to say he’s top five in his position.

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Whether these two pieces alone can fix what has looked like structural issues in Dallas’s defense is another question. But for the first time in weeks, Cowboys fans have reason to feel something resembling hope. And Williams is just as eager to get going.

“I’m super excited. … I haven’t played a game in a long minute. I’m super excited not only to play a football game but to play for this organization, man, to play for this team, to play for the guys in our defensive line room, and to play for the guys in this organization,” the defensive tackle said.

That long layoff isn’t an exaggeration. Thanks to back-to-back bye weeks: the Jets’ Week 9 bye and the Cowboys’ Week 10 break. Williams hasn’t played in 22 days. Anyone who’s played football at any level knows how much of a nightmare that is.

Most of the attention since the trade deadline has gone to Williams, and understandably so. But Cowboys fans should be just as intrigued by Wilson’s arrival. He’ll make his debut, too, in a matchup with the Raiders that Dallas can’t afford to take lightly.

Logan Wilson couldn’t hide his excitement either

It’s a seismic shift for Logan Wilson, who spent the last five and a half years anchored in Cincinnati. New colors, new building, new expectations, all of it hits at once. But he sounds genuinely ready for the reset.

“Yeah it’ll definitely be a lot different than the last five and a half years in Cincy. Wearing the white jersey with a star on the helmet will be a good change for sure and I’m looking towards it,” Wilson said.

He might end up being every bit as important as Quinnen Williams. Wilson signed a four-year extension with the Bengals last year, only to miss the final six games after knee surgery. Even so, he made a clear impact in the 11 games he played.

He piled up 104 tackles, forced two fumbles, recovered two more, and extended his streak of 100-tackle seasons to four straight. That kind of production speaks for itself. But what Dallas may value even more is the presence he brings behind the scenes.

When Wilson left Cincinnati, rookie linebacker Barrett Carter posted a message thanking him for taking him under his wing, for showing him “what it looks like to be a pro in all areas of life.”

That’s the sort of leadership Dallas has been missing on that side of the ball, and it’s a big part of why the Cowboys wanted him.

Whether Williams and Wilson can rescue this Cowboys defense in one swing remains to be seen. But they will absolutely make it better, and Dallas hasn’t been able to say that about many of its defensive moves in a long time.