Can This Jets Defensive Lineman Return to All-Pro Form This Season?

In a down year for the New York Jets all-around, the most unexpected decline came from their defense. While the unit was once regarded as one of the best in the entirety of the NFL, 2024 was a year that they would like to collectively forget. One of the most surprising declines was from star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. While he has been the anchor of the defense for many years now, Williams had a season well below his usual standards. Still, despite the production, he represented the team in the Pro Bowl, showing that even in his down years, he is still good enough to be talked about. Recently, Williams was named number 87 on the Top 100 NFL Players List, voted on by players in the league. While Williams was still ranked in the top 100, he saw a 50-spot dip from last season, where he ranked number 37.

During Williams’ down year last season, he played in 16 games and had 37 tackles. Out of those 37, eight were for loss, and he also totaled six sacks. In Williams’ All-Pro 2022 season, he had 55 tackles, including 12 for loss, and had double the number of sacks with 12. In 2023, Williams had a 90.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which dropped to 69.6 in 2024. He was also ranked as the 32nd-best run defender out of 63 qualifiers with a minimum of 500 snaps.

Despite the down year, ESPN Analyst Jeremy Fowler still ranked him within the top five of his list of the best defensive tackles in the game. Fowler took into account the fact that Williams had a hamstring injury and the fact that the Jets did not give him too much help on the defensive line. If Williams is able to return to full health and the rest of the line improves even slightly, the defense should be able to rebound this season. While only time will tell how the defense fares under new head coach Aaron Glenn and new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, there is no reason to believe that Williams won’t have a bounce-back year.