Rich Weighs In on the Cowboys’ Quinnen Williams Extension & Dallas’ New-Look Defense

A year ago at this time, the Dallas Cowboys were a running argument about handshakes and unreturned agent calls. Now they are signing people.

Quinnen Williams is locked up for three years and $105.9 million, and Rich's reaction was less about the number than the mood. "Quinnen Williams being signed and happy is great for you," he said. "It is absolutely great for you."

Credit went to the other side of the table too. Nicole Lynn, Rich said, is on fuego, having handled Bijan Robinson's deal and now this one, with Myles Garrett also on her client list. "When she tweets out back up the Brinks truck, then it's time for the Brinks truck to be backed up."

The football case is the front. Williams alongside Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark is, in Rich's words, pretty damn good, with Osa Odighizuwa in the mix and Caleb Downs on the back end. Christian Parker takes over as defensive coordinator, and Rich likes everything he is seeing while withholding the only verdict that counts.

"We got to see how he is calling plays in the heat of the battle," he said, "and how does he lead these guys and do they follow him, and do they play as one, and how quickly can they play as one?"

The contrast with last summer is the whole story. This time last year the conversation in Dallas was Micah, a handshake that may or may not have been a deal, agents who were not talking, and Jerry Jones telling everyone to light a candle. Smash cut to now, Rich said, and Jerry won that trade.

That comes with a deadline attached. "With each passing day, we need to see it this year," Rich said. "Okay? We need to see it this year." The roster is built for it, and Jones has said Dallas retains the futures to go add pass rush in the middle of the season if it wants to.

Rich started down that road, floated a certain pass rusher currently working alongside Kirk Cousins who might prefer not to be a Raider, then caught himself. He had promised not to do that bit. He did it anyway, apologized, and moved on. That is for another day.

The next math problem is the receiver room. Stephen Jones said he believes the Cowboys can keep both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens long-term, and Dak Prescott is presumably hoping he is right. The arithmetic is not impossible on its face. Prescott is making 60, the receivers combined would be around 60, and that is 120 against a cap that is a little over $300 million.

Pushback in studio landed on the assumption underneath it. Those receivers are going to want more than 60 combined.

Fair. But the point of the segment stands. For the first time in a while, the Dallas story in August is about deals getting done rather than deals falling apart, and about a defensive line that should be a problem for people rather than a source of them.

Well done, Rich said. Now go show it.