NFL Rumors: Could Quinnen Williams lure LA Rams back to Win Now?

The LA Rams have made no bones about their love and desire to have one of the most dominating pass rushes in the NFL. And at times, this Rams roster had accomplished that behind the devastating effects of defensive lineman Aaron Donald and a group of competent if not lauded teammates that knew how to get a bead on opposing quarterbacks and drop them like sacks of flour.

But the 2023 NFL season is not projecting any on-par or better pass rush from the LA Rams defense. In fact, since the Rams failed attempt to trade for Carolina Panthers pass rusher Brian Burns in 2022, the Rams front office appears to be content to grow their own edge rushers. But there could be a pass rusher up for trade who could lure the LA Rams back to the win-now window. That is New York Jets defensive tackle, Quinnen Williams:

The New York Jets would love to extend defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, as he is a dominating interior defensive lineman who can get to the quarterback. It's enough for NFL rumors to begin attracting various trade scenarios. One trade article has him landing with the Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans, or Detroit Lions. Another trade article swaps out the Seahawks and introduces the Chicago Bears with the Texans or Lions as a prime landing site for Williams.

In my mind, the LA Rams are an ideal landing spot for Quinnen Williams. While the Rams would need to free up some money, the Rams are heavily invested in getting to the quarterback. And the Rams front office, as coy as they are playing their hand, knows that this team has no intention of wasting the final few years of very competitive NFL football play from either QB Matthew Stafford or DL Aaron Donald.

Reasons why the Rams won't inquire about Quinnen Williams:

The Rams may have made up their minds about not overextending their already overspent salary cap one iota. And if that is the case, then the Rams spending $9 million in 2023 and over $20 million per season for the foreseeable future is a lot of cash to commit to now. The Rams may even have interest in Quinnen Williams, but their financial picture is so incredibly dire now that they would need to restructure contracts or trade players just to fit Quinnen Williams into their current salary cap.

Reasons why the Rams will inquire about Quinnen Williams:

If there is any position that will lure the LA Rams back into Win Now mode, it's that pass rusher role. The LA Rams showed their hand a year ago when the team offered up a 2023 second and a 2024 and 2025 first-round picks for Carolina Panthers Brian Burns. To play in 2023, the LA Rams would have needed to find $16+ million to exercise his fifth-year option. For comparison sake, Quinnen Williams's fifth year is much more affordable, at $9.6 million.

While Quinnen Williams has put up plenty of quarterback sacks, 12.0 quarterback sacks in 2022, he simply has not matched the output of Brian Burns. But Williams is an interior defensive lineman, a special type of dominating defensive player who could one day assume the mantle currently adorning Rams All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald,

The truth is that few young players, if any, can rise so quickly through the NFL ranks to dominate the line of scrimmage like Quinnen Williams. Even if the LA Rams do inquire, there is a lot of persuasion needed to coax the Jets into abandoning such a young and promising pass rusher.