FRISCO, Texas – “The first step,” as the saying goes, “is admitting you have a problem.”

The Dallas Cowboys just used Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline to announce their illness and to grab onto a potential cure. Dallas made a pair of deadline moves, acquiring All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets on Tuesday afternoon, following a morning deal that brought Cincinnati Bengals standout linebacker Logan Wilson to DFW in exchange for a seventh-round pick.

Can this tandem fix a Cowboys defense that ranks in the bottom three in the NFL in most every important category?

They can’t hurt.

The Cowboys get Williams in exchange for a 2026 second-round draft pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and defensive lineman Mazi Smith, who the Cowboys were obviously willing to dump as they made the first-round bust a healthy scratch on Monday as the team lost 27-17 to Arizona.

The first-round pick in 2027 will be the higher of Dallas’ two that season: either the Cowboys’ own or the Green Bay Packers’ pick Dallas acquired in the deal involving pass rusher Micah Parsons before the season started. Interestingly, when Jerry Jones‘ Cowboys were shopping for a Micah trade, they called the Jets and asked for Quinnen.

That deal wasn’t consummated. But this one is, bringing to The Star a player in Williams who has made the Pro Bowl each of the last three seasons after New York selected him No. 3 overall in the 2019 draft out of Alabama.

Williams’ career is highlighted by a First Team All-Pro selection in 2022, when he totaled 12 sacks before fully switching to the inside as a tackle.

The 27-year-old DL doesn’t come cheap. He is signed through 2027 and is set to make $20.75 million next year and $25.4 million in 2027. But on the plus side, Dallas has contractual control over both Williams and Wilson through 2027. … so these deals aren’t just about some 2025 “emergency,” but rather about a long-term look as well.

This season, Williams has registered 32 total tackles, a career-high three forced fumbles, seven tackles for loss, and one sack. He’s graded at an elite 79.7 so far this season by Pro Football Focus.

As for Wilson, the 29-year-old LB is a tackling machine who was in the process of being phased out in Cincy despite his status as a centerpiece of a Bengals defense that went to a Super Bowl and to two AFC title games. He’s the leading interceptor among middle linebackers in the last 5.5 years with 11 picks.

The Cowboys are a humble 3-5-1 but are continuing to push the “playoff contender” narrative … in part because, in-house, there is the belief that the Dak Prescott-led offense can win games with even middling support from the defense.

These acquisitions mark an effort to shore up Dallas’ near league-worst defense, with an emphasis obviously on the front seven and fixing its inability to clog up rushing lanes. The Cowboys allow 143 rushing yards a game—the fourth-most in the NFL.

Wilson could help with that. Williams is guaranteed to do so.

Now alongside tackle Kenny Clark, who was acquired in the Parsons trade, and with Osa Odighizuwa also in play, Williams looks to continue serving as a force that Jones and the 3-5-1 Cowboys hope can spark a turnaround toward a playoff push. … all after having admitted that Dallas’ defense is sickly and desperate for a cure.

By some measures, Dallas has just a seven-percent chance of making this year’s playoffs. … meaning that for 2025, even this pair of impressive moves might be nothing more than a placebo.