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FRISCO, Texas – Hey, hey, ho-ho, the Cowboys got them a Pro Bowl defensive tackle.

Shake hands with Quinnen Williams, 6-3, 303, turning but 28 the first week in December, the former third pick in the 2019 NFL Draft in just his seventh season, and no pun intended, a seasoned, mammoth defensive tackle, just what the doctor, and me, too, ordered.

A three-time Pro Bowler that Cowboys current defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton helped raise the previous four seasons when he was coaching for the Jets. And these three Pro Bowls are not something in Williams' way past. They are earned in the previous three seasons with the Jets prior to this trade, in other words, current.

And this move, sending the New York Jets a 2026 second round draft choice, a 2027 first and Mazi Smith, their former 2023 first round draft choice who basically has bottomed in this his third season, a game day inactive this year in four of nine games and finishing with but four tackles in the five played, bolsters this defense for now and into the 2026-27 future.

Look, tell me this. Can you recall the Cowboys last Pro Bowl defensive tackle?

Me, had to scan my peabrain, then finally gave up, grabbing my 2025 ����TV media guide for help since I kept coming up La'Roi Glover, yet knowing that goes back to the free agent signing from 2002, maybe the all-time most productive free agent the Cowboys have ever signed.

Well, the answer is: Jason Hatcher, 2013.

Next most recent, and shame on me for this: Jay Ratliff, 2008-11.

Next, uh, Glover.

So, if you are scoring along with me, that's three Pro Bowl defensive e tackles over the past three decades until the arrival of Williams halfway through this third one. And you'd have to agree with me, 'bout darn time.

At least Dak Prescott thinks so, his reaction needing a bit of censorship, saying, "I'm f-ing pumped."

And the head coach couldn't agree more, Brian Schottenheimer pointing out after seeing firsthand this season Quinnen Williams play in the Cowboys 37-22 victory over the Jets, "We had to set our protections based on him."

Then he added, if you have a chance to acquire a player such as Williams, "You're crazy if you don't do it."

Ah, for a change no one seems to be calling a move by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones "crazy," although for at least one uninitiated graded this trade an "F," failing to include the positive salary cap ramifications, if you figure the Cowboys have two prominent defensive tackles for what the salary cap price would have been for one Micah Parsons and yet still three first-round picks over the next two drafts to boot.

Think about this: In this the Cowboys now 66^th season, they have only produced seven Pro Bowl defensive tackles in the previous 65 seasons, starting first with their first NFL draft choice Bob Lilly in 1961, but not until moving the eventual Hall of Famer from defensive end to defensive tackle, racking up 10 straight Pro Bowl seasons from 1964-73 at defensive tackle. After that, it's Randy White, after finally settling in him at defensive tackle in his third season, earning nine consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 1977-85. Then one year for Russell Maryland in 1993, Leon Lett twice, 1994 and 1998, all prior to the arrival of Glover, Ratliff and Hatcher.

Now Williams, arriving as a ready-made Pro Bowler, a most welcomed sight.

• And Don't Forget: Look, don't turn your nose up at the Cowboys spending only a seventh-round draft choice to acquire linebacker Logan Wilson from Cincinnati. Here is what stood out to me about Wilson. The former third round draft choice in his sixth season and a team captain, had started 65 of 76 games, 10 of the non-starts occurring his COVID-interrupted rookie season (2020) when playing just 12 games, plus having produced four consecutive 100-tackle seasons for the Bengals over the past four years. This guy likely steps right in at middle linebacker, pushing Kenneth Murray outside. According to those having watched him closely, Wilson became expendable since the 3-6 Bengals had decided the time is right to develop younger linebackers, and that includes this year's fourth-rounder Barrett Carter.
• Cap Implications: Williams comes in as a friendly cap hit, costing the Cowboys just half his 2025 base salary at $8.4 million. And since they now own his rights for the next two seasons, hey this seems a fair cost with his next two base salaries at $20.75 million and $25.4 million, but without any guarantees attached. As for Wilson, who had signed a four-year extension worth $36 million in 2023, his remaining base for this year is $1.3 million plus a per game active bonus for the final nine weeks, potentially worth $149,111. His final two remaining base salaries are $6 million and $6.6 million, with no guarantees.
• Five Of A Kind: Not some sporty card game, but the defensive front the Cowboys have been employing during the past two weeks while trying not only to stop the run but to create blocking mismatches when applying pressure on pass-down situations. Over the past two weeks the Cowboys have gone five down a combined 47 times over 130 snaps, with just more than half of those (27) against the Cardinals Monday night. With five down, that creates more one-on-one situations up front, lessening offensive lines from double-teaming the Cowboys defensive tackles, as the Panthers made popular in that loss. And with the addition of Williams, who has made a career of busting up double-team blocks as well, the Cowboys might not need to resort to as many five-man fronts to do a better job stopping the run with the big, mobile guy in the middle. And as for his ability to push the pocket up the middle, as Cowboys secondary coach David Overstreet says, "I tell Q, you make my job easier if the quarterback is on his back, he can't throw." Solid, there.
• On The Run: While so many want to harp on the Cowboys pass defense, which surely is far below par, and their inability to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks on a consistent basis, good gosh they have been terrible stopping the run. Check this out: Only twice in nine games have opponents rushed for less than 100 yards, once in the win over the Giants and the other in the loss to Chicago. Otherwise, their other seven opponents have rushed for at least Arizona's 119 yards, with Carolina's high of 216 and Denver next at 179. Sure need the help of Williams and Wilson.
• Sound The Bugels: This bye week just might aid the reinforcements coming in over the hill for the next game. There is a good chance according to secondary coach David Overstreet starting safeties Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson could return for the Nov. 17 game against the Raiders. That at least would improve the secondary communication, having played so many backups and players elevated off the practice squad. Overstreet saying of Hooker and Wilson, "Getting the communicators back on the field," and this specifically of the veteran Hooker, "He can fix (problems) on the fly." On top of that, the Cowboys will need to move off reserve lists linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and corner Shavon Revel, their 21-day practice window about to expire next week, raising the possibility of both getting snaps against the Raiders.
• Short But Good Byes: That the Cowboys included 2023 first-round draft choice Mazi Smith, albeit the 26^th pick in the draft, essentially selected with a second-round grade that late, and designated as one of the game-day inactive in five of nine games this season, his greatest contribution might be if the Jets wanted him included in the trade for Williams . . . Despite holding the Cardinals to 27 points, just the fourth time the Cowboys have given up fewer than 30 this year, the Cowboys defense still is ranked 31^st in total yards, passing yards, rushing yards and points allowed . . . Thought we'd share this coming up on Wednesday's Mick Shots podcast, about Cowboys best punt return artist, and going to the media guide finding the career yardage leaders being No. 1 Kelvin Martin (1,803 yards), No. 2 Butch Jophnson (1,313) and No. 3 Deion Sanders (1,184). Those guys all played at least five seasons . . . KaVontae Turpin ranks 10th with 609 yards . . . And lastly, Brian Schottenheimer's dad, Marty, is among the nine semifinalists in the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach category for 2026.

And for the final word, let's welcome in defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, having arrived at The Star after being acquired in the trade with the Jets, seemingly quite humble and educated on the Cowboys season and personnel when talking during Wednesday's media session. And it had been no secret Williams has been frustrated with the Jets lack of winning, the 1-8 team in the midst of suffering a seventh consecutive losing season since he was drafted with the third pick in the 2019 draft, 7-9 his rookie season their best winning percentage during that stretch and now on their fifth head coach.

"As an ultra-competitor, I think anybody who is going through many, many losses like I was going through is going to be frustrated," Williams says. "I know guys who won their whole life and lose one game be frustrated. So of course I was frustrated.

"But the relationship I have with AG (head coach Aaron Glenn), the relationship I have with GM Darren (Mougey) there is still great relationships, and they knew I was frustrated. I think the world knew I was frustrated being there so long and still losing.

"Like I said, any ultra-competitor, man, any guy who plays this game to win is going to be frustrated, no matter if you win 100 and you lose that one, or when I was at 'Bama and went 16-1 and lost the national championship I was frustrated. But the relationship has never been, has never been broken, and I believe in what AG is doing there is going to be great for those guys, and the leadership he has, and the things he is doing there is going to be great for those guys, and the way Darren has handled everything there is going to be great."

So seemingly no hard feelings, and judging from this 14-minute cover, seems as if a good locker room guy, too.