Steelers should call Jets right now about a possible trade for Quinnen Williams

Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is officially on the trade block. Here’s why the Pittsburgh Steelers should be calling New York as we speak.

The Steelers have one of the best defenses in the league in 2020. Pittsburgh currently ranks 6th in the NFL in points allowed per game (19.7) and 1st in yards allowed (286.3). But there’s always room for improvement in the NFL.

Part of the reason for this dominance has been their guys up front. Stephon Tuitt is having a career year and is on track to be an All-Pro in 2020, while Tyson Alualu and Cameron Heyward have been rock-solid in the middle. Bud Dupree is having by far the best season of his six-year NFL career and is currently second on the team with 5.0 sacks, while T.J. Watt could very well prove to be the Defensive Player of the Year in 2020.

But despite possessing arguably the league’s best defensive front, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to reach out to the Jets about a possible trade for a defensive tackle, Quinnen Williams.

Williams has been at the center of trade talks early in the year as the Jets are once again looking to disassemble their team and rebuild after an 0-7 start to the season. Now, the rumors that the former Alabama defensive lineman would be on the trade block have been confirmed.

According to Jets columnist, Manish Mehta, New York is willing to deal Quinnen Williams before the NFL trade deadline on November 3rd.

This is terrific news to any team that is in the market for a young, promising defensive tackle, and the Steelers should be no exception.

Why Steelers should pounce on Quinnen Williams trade

Clearly, Pittsburgh doesn’t have a major need on the defensive line, but that’s not a reason to ignore a player as talented as Quinnen Williams. In 2019 prior to entering the NFL Draft, Williams was widely considered a blue-chip player who could be a cornerstone building block to a football team. During his redshirt sophomore year, he compiled 71 tackles, 19.5 tackles for a loss, and 8.0 sacks.

In addition, Williams tested in the 83rd percentile among all defensive linemen at the NFL Combine, according to Three Sigma Athlete. As a result, Williams was selected with the 3rd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

While his numbers aren’t exactly where we had hoped they would be (2.5 sacks in 13 games as a rookie), he has since made strides – bringing the quarterback down for a sack 3.0 times in 7 games this year, according to Pro Football Reference. It’s also important to consider that nearly everybody looks bad on the Jets.

Tyson Alualu is playing some terrific football right now for the Steelers, and nobody has even made mention of missing Javon Hargrave this year. However, Alualu’s contract is up after 2020 and he will be 34 years old before the 2021 season.

Williams, on the other hand, is just 22 years old, and he has an incredibly bright future ahead of him. In my book, he’s worth a first-round pick any day of the week. However, a team may be able to steal him for even less than that.

If this is the case, there should be no hesitation for Pittsburgh to call New York and inquire about this trade. Though Williams may not help them out a ton from the gate, I can assure you that he will be a massive part of their defense in 2021 and beyond.

The Steelers have many expiring contracts after the 2020 season, and it’s possible that they will be without many defensive contributors including Bud Dupree, Tyson Alualu, Mike Hilton, and Cameron Sutton. Trading for Quinnen Williams will help keep Pittsburgh’s defense great and make them a force for years to come.