5 NY Jets players the Carolina Panthers must keep quiet in Week 1
By Dean Jones
Quinnen Williams – DT
For all the talk of wholesale changes across the New York Jets over the last year, there was one player who was not going to be moved at any price. Quinnen Williams is a star in the making at defensive tackle, boasting the sort of traits that are normally associated with productive players at the next level.
His level of performance on a poor defense in 2020 was outstanding. Williams racked up 11 tackles, seven sacks, 10 quarterback hits, 14 pressures, and 20 pressures from just 13 games, emerging as a breakout candidate in 2021 with a defensive-minded head coach in Robert Saleh who’ll know how to increase his performance further.
Williams underwent surgery this offseason to repair a minor foot break. But he’s expected to be fit and firing on all cylinders for Week 1 at Bank of America Stadium.
As stated previously, the Carolina Panthers are taking a stab in the dark regarding an offensive line that looks pretty patchwork outside of stud tackle Taylor Moton. Williams will fancy his chances of getting his campaign off to a dominant start against a less than stellar interior from the outside looking in.
Carolina’s coaching staff has enough tape to study, so they’ll know just how impactful Williams can be if they don’t gameplan specifically to prevent his influence.