Green Bay Packers Trade Targets: Gutey Should be Calling on DT Quinnen Williams

It’s been reported that the New York Jets may deal Quinnen Williams for a second-round pick. And if that’s true, the Green Bay Packers should be on the phone.

One position that I’m assuming just about all of us thought the Green Bay Packers would address this offseason was the interior defensive line. We all remember how ugly the NFC Championship Game was, as the San Francisco offense ran all over Green Bay. And while that was clearly the defense’s worst performance of the 2019 season, their play against the run was an issue all season long.

Now six weeks into the 2020 season, the Packers are 4-1, and really outside of Billy Winn, who has seen some playing time, they have the same personnel along the interior defensive line as they did a year ago. Yet, the 116.2 rushing yards per game that Green Bay is giving up is better than last season and ranks 15th in the NFL.

However, in the first four games of the season, the defense received major help from the offense, which gave them several multiple score leads to work with, thus forcing the opponent to run less. So on the flip side, the 4.79 yards per carry that they are allowing is more indicative of where they stand as a unit, ranking 24th in that category and showing that teams are still able to run efficiently on them.

But a new concern that has popped up this season along the defensive front is that Green Bay is struggling to pressure the quarterback, unlike last season. After posting 128 quarterback pressures through five games in 2019, they have just 53 this season. Meanwhile, their pressure rate of 17 percent ranks 31st.

Undoubtedly, both the Green Bay Packers’ run game and pass rush have struggled because Kenny Clark has only been in the lineup for a game and a half this year. But even so, the depth of this interior defensive line is still thin with Clark available, and the pass rush is a far cry from what it was last season.

So at this point, GM Brian Gutekunst and the Green Bay Packers have two options. They can either ride it out and hope things get better, which is the likely path if I had to guess. Or Gutey could make a trade with the deadline approaching. Although receivers are drawing the interest of many in Packer Nation, former top-5 pick and current New York Jets’ defensive tackle, Quinnen Williams, is reportedly on the trade block and should have everyone’s attention.

A star at Alabama, Williams had a monster 2018 season with the Crimson Tide. He recorded 71 total tackles, including 19.5 for a loss, along with eight sacks. As a result, he was the third overall pick in the 2019 draft by New York. For a closer look at Williams’ game, here is what Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network had to say in his final scouting report:

"“Quinnen Williams is an easy projection to a 3T role in the NFL. Williams has superb quickness, extension skills, pass rush counters and football intelligence. There’s little in the way of limitations for Williams between the sidelines. Williams has All-Pro potential and can be a perennial Pro Bowler if he plays to his potential. Williams should start immediately in the NFL and be the face of a young team’s defensive unit for years to come.”"

Unfortunately, on the stat sheet, it was a quiet rookie season for Williams, to say the least. In 13 games, he would total just 19 pressures, 2.5 sacks, 28 tackles, with only four being for a loss. With that said, it’s worth noting that even for top draft picks, there is still usually an adjustment period. Not to mention that Williams’ role as a 3-4 nose tackle isn’t always a glamorous one where he’s going to pile up stats.

So despite the lack of production, the flashes were there, and we are seeing that development take place in Year 2. Through six games, Williams already has two sacks, 24 tackles, four of which are for a loss, along with eight total pressures. Already matching his production from his rookie season in several categories.

Even more impressive is that out of all interior defensive linemen who have played at least 78 snaps this season, Williams is first in Pro Football Focus’ ($) run-stop percentage. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, a run-stop is a play that results in a loss for the offense, and this particular metric measures the rate at which that happens. And in case you forgot, the Green Bay Packers could use some help against the run.

Oh, did I mention that Williams is still just 22 years old? Yes, 22 years old.

I think we can all agree that having Williams next to Clark would be a very good thing for this Green Bay Packers’ defense. But when discussing trades, we always have to look at the cost to acquire the player and the contract that the Packers would be inheriting.

Jets’ GM Joe Douglas has been very transparent since taking over, saying that he will take calls on any player, although that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s looking to trade them. When it comes to Williams, Connor Hughes of The Athletic recently reported that if offered a second-round pick, that just might do the trick:

"“The Jets might be able to get back a second-round pick for him. If that offer comes up, could [Joe] Douglas, knowing the Jets are still years away, turn it down? Probably not. To this point, no one has called the Jets about Williams with anything serious.”"

If this report is accurate, then trading a pick that could very well be in the 60-64 range for the Packers in order to land an ascending 22-year-old at a position of need is a no-brainer. Fortunately, Green Bay has been very good for a long time, and they haven’t had to draft in the top-5, but this would be their opportunity to land a top-5 talent. And it’s not like Williams was the third overall pick in 2015; this was just one year ago that he was selected.

As far as Williams’ contract goes, this is another factor that we have to be mindful of. Green Bay is already tight up against the salary cap, the league’s salary cap could drop as low as $175 million in 2021, and the Packers have several high-profile free agents of their own to tend to. But the good news is that Williams’ rookie deal would be very affordable for Green Bay.

The Jets signed Williams for a four-year deal worth $32.53 million that was fully guaranteed. However, of that total value, $21.68 of that is signing bonus, which stays on New York’s salary cap. Williams’ base salary is just $675,000 in 2020, $850,000 in 2021, and $965,000 in 2022. There are roster bonuses baked in that the Packers would have to pay, but without having to worry about the signing bonus, this becomes a very reasonable contract for them to take on, even with their tight cap situation.

Typically the Green Bay Packers aren’t a team that is going to make a big trade at the deadline, and if I was a betting man, my guess is that they don’t this year either. With that said, with everything we’ve discussed here, including the positional need, Williams’ upside, along with the costs to acquire and keep him, it would seem foolish to not at least give New York a call.