As if the Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones trading for Cincinnati Bengals captain Logan Wilson in exchange for a seventh-round pick/standard serving of peanuts wasn't bad enough.
Quick, reader: Find one seventh-round selection the Bengals have made in the past two decades who've meant anything. You can't. Wilson was shipped away for a probable practice squad player. Bravo, Duke Tobin!!
One glaring weakness of the Bengals' historically atrocious defense is the defensive tackle position. Tobin could've redeemed himself by sacrificing major assets to land one of the elite players on the trade block, but alas, Jerry beat him to the punch there, too.
Quinnen Williams trade shows Cowboys want it more than the Bengals...and that's saying something
New York Jets cornerstone Quinnen Williams was the apple of Jerry Jones' eye, and he wasn't about to let the trade deadline come and go without getting him. Thought it fitting to use a primary photo of Jerry from 2010 in this article, because my goodness, did he turn back the clock? Is he on football's cutting edge again?
All of a sudden, that Micah Parsons trade looks a whole lot better, since Dallas used some of the acquired assets to secure Williams' services.
Cowboys giving up a 2 in 2026 and a 1 in 2027 for Quinnen Williams, per source.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 4, 2025
So, Dallas essentially has Williams, Kenny Clark and a 1-2 pick swap out of the Micah Parsons deal.
Also to consider: Williams costs the Cowboys roughly half of what Parsons' new deal incurred for the Green Bay Packers.
Jerry Jones made clear when we talked at owners meetings that no player would replace Micah Parsons. But trading for Jets DT Quinnen Williams brings a massive upgrade to Cowboys defensive front.
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) November 4, 2025
Quinnen's contract is $24M/year. Micah Parsons' in Green Bay is $46.5 M/year.
The Cowboys and Bengals are in 11th place in their respective conferences after Week 9. Dallas is trying way harder than Cincinnati to salvage the season, and to maximize the window of star quarterback Dak Prescott's massive contract.
Meanwhile, Joe Burrow is badly hurt again, rocking an emo haircut, engaging Joker mode for Halloween, and watching his Bengals defense get pummeled worse than last season when they let him down so often.
I lost count of how many times I advocated for a Bengals-Quinnen Williams trade. Wasn't meant to be.
Why the Quinnen Williams trade stings even more for the Bengals in particular
Teams can get creative with how they use draft picks, but there's nothing like sticking and picking and hitting a home run in the draft. You get a player under team control for at least four years before a second contract, and can build out other areas of the roster. Future picks can be mortgaged in favor of winning right now.
You know who the real key is for Dallas behind making the Micah Parsons and Quinnen Williams trades look superb? Rookie defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku.
Hits different in Who Dey Nation, don't it? Ezeiruaku was my 29th-ranked prospect overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Cowboys picked him 44th overall, whereas Cincinnati selected Shemar Stewart with the 17th pick in Round 1. Stewart was my 52nd-ranked player.
Shall we see how it's going so far, as Stewart enters the Week 10 bye with a knee injury?
There are 525 qualified defenders in the PFF database through 9 weeks.
— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) November 3, 2025
Bengals Top 50 picks Demetrius Knight Jr. and Shemar Stewart are graded 523rd and 524th as run defenders.
Relying on rookies is risky and relying on rookies with minimal college production is even riskier.
We will see if the numbers hold for final grading, but this will be the fourth-straight week #Cowboys EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku had at least a 20% pass-rush win rate.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) November 4, 2025
The latest in a long line of misses on Bengals draftees was going with Stewart over Ezeiruaku.
Since 2022, The Bengals have spent 10 Top 100 picks on defense, tied for the most in the NFL over that span (Eagles, Cardinals).
— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) October 27, 2025
They currently rank dead last in yards allowed/game and tied for last in defensive EPA/play allowed.
This is the direct result of draft decisions.
Seems like a good stopping point here.
I'm fuming. I can't even bring myself to write anymore about this. It's just so obvious to everyone outside the building. How do the Bengals keep getting it so wrong?