Last week was tough for the Jets’ linebacker Quincy Williams.
Not only was his brother and teammate of five seasons, Quinnen, traded to the Cowboys, but he was demoted for “poor performance.”
However, Williams played his best game of the season in the Jets’ 27-20 win over the Browns on Sunday. He finished with seven tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.
During the third quarter, when Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel was sacked, Williams did the Quinnen sack dance to honor his brother.
“It wasn’t planned,” Williams said. “When I got the bag, the first thing that came to my mind was dang, I wanted to celebrate with my brother. So I had to celebrate with him.
“He’s home now because they had a bye week. So he had a chance to watch it. I got back on my phone and he said he watched it, so I was relieved.”
Williams, 29, said he came in on Monday of this week and was told by Jets coaches that he was working with the second defensive unit. In the process, he also had to watch his brother move to Dallas.
Williams has also been rumored to be a possibility of being traded as well. There were rumors that he would be part of a package deal with his brother, but the Cowboys traded for Logan Wilson, who was previously with the Bengals.
“After the game was over, the focus was now 1-0,” Williams said. “I wasn’t really worried about what happened before the bye. We were excited about our victory, but we continued chopping firewood and carrying water.
“I feel like everyone came in with that mentality and we showed that today, starting with this game.”
This has been a challenging year overall for Williams. He missed four games with a shoulder injury suffered in Week 3 against Tampa Bay. Entering Sunday, he had 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks in four games. Additionally, Williams has not lived up to expectations under the defensive scheme of first-year coach Aaron Glenn and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.
Williams is in the final year of his contract and has been a pillar of the Jets’ defense, which finished in the top five in yards allowed from 2022 to 2024. But the Jets’ defense this season has been inconsistent. They ranked 21st in yards and 27th in points allowed on Sunday.
Williams did not start the game in his usual spot as one of the Jets nickel linebackers. On Sunday as well Jimin Sherwoodveteran Mikal Walkerwho signed to the active roster last month, started instead. Williams was only used in the Jets-based 4-3 defensive formation.
However, in the second quarter, Williams returned to his nickel position and made several positive plays that positively impacted the Jets defense.
“My mentality was they were going to say my name as many times as they could,” Williams said. “I did what Quincy always does. The most important thing was to get on the field, and really show it.
“I got injured, so it was just a reminder to the Jets organization who I am.”
The Jets claimed Williams off waivers before the start of the 2021 season. During that time, he quickly became a starter and was named a first-team All-Pro in 2023, with his brother Quinnen also on the Jets’ defensive line. This led to the team rewarding him with a three-year, $18 million contract extension in 2023.
Williams says it was strange playing without his brother Quinnen on the team for the first time since becoming a Jet.
“All the things I learned from him, I learned all week,” Williams said. “It took me all day and I was worried about this week and I wasn’t really worried about my feelings and things like that.
“There were a lot of emotions about a lot of things, but I let God deal with that and continue to do what He had already told me to do, and things would work out well for me.”
The Jets also traded cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Colts this week in exchange for two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. After allowing 17 points in the first half, the Jets’ defense stiffened against the Browns in the second half and held them to just three points after halftime. They also sacked Gabriel six times, including four pass rushers Will MacDonald.
“Obviously, coach [Glenn] “I’ve made that decision, it’s out of my hands,” McDonald said of the trades this week. “I appreciate everything Quinnen has done for this organization, especially for the D-Line.
“He came in as a rookie, and he was teaching me a lot of things. Soos, he was always one of those guys that we wanted to be around. It was kind of heartbreaking to see them leave, but I think we’ll continue to stick with the things we have now and continue to trust the process, and we’ll move forward.”