Quinnen Williams ready to overtake Aaron Donald as NFL's best D-lineman? Jets teammate thinks so
Jets’ Quinnen Williams during first day of Jets training camp at Jets training facility in Florham Park, New Jersey on July 19, 2023 Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — John Franklin-Myers began his career playing with the undisputed best defensive lineman in football. That may be the case again this year, this time with the Jets.
Franklin-Myers thinks Quinnen Williams is poised to overtake the Rams’ Aaron Donald as the top talent at the position.
“Quinnen is the new regime,” Franklin-Myers said. “To me, big picture-wise, Quinnen has the ability and eventually this year, next year, he will surpass A.D. and [Kansas City’s] Chris Jones.”
Franklin-Myers was a fourth-round pick by the Rams in 2018 and suddenly found himself as a protege on a very deep defensive line led by Donald. He was waived the following preseason and claimed by the Jets in 2019.
The main contrast between the two players, Franklin-Myers said, is Williams’ ability to move laterally. “The difference is Quinnen dominates run and pass and A.D. dominates every pass and has his tackles for a loss in the run,” he said. “That’s what makes [Donald] a dominant force. Quinnen dominates when you run to him or run away. You see him running after the stack. To me, that’s just as important as those TFLs. You see a guy who, if I shoot up the field, he wraps me and goes and runs down the play on the other sideline. That’s something no one else does. You can’t look at any other tackle in the NFL [and see that].”
Just before training camp, Williams signed a four-year contract extension with the Jets worth $96 million, with $66 million guaranteed. It makes him the second-highest-paid player at his position . . . behind Donald.
Franklin-Myers said Williams has spoken about an imminent change in the rankings and is driven to top the list. “He has the mindset to say, ‘Look, I’m going through my stuff,’ ” he said. “They’re all talking about this guy is better than you and you’re the third-best or fourth-best D-tackle. Nah, he’s like, ‘I’m about to be the first-best.’ To hear him say that, that stood out to me. Everybody isn’t counting on him being the best defensive tackle, but he’s going to show it.”
Brown getting closer
LT Duane Brown (PUP list; offseason shoulder surgery) worked on a side field Sunday. Robert Saleh said Brown will be ready for Week 1. “He’s still working through the surgeries he had this offseason,” Saleh said. “But we’re not worried about his availability for this season. I don’t want to put an exact timetable on it, but it should be sooner rather than later.”
With Al Iannazzone
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
