Jets suffer injury scare as Quinnen Williams leaves practice early

The New York Jets have high expectations for their re-tooled defense in 2025, and much of that is due to the returning All-Pro players on the roster. One such player who will be counted on in a big way this season is defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

The former first-team All-Pro is fresh off his third consecutive Pro Bowl season and has established himself as one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. He's expected to anchor a thin Jets defensive line in 2025.

That is, of course, if he's healthy. Williams was forced to exit Thursday's practice early after reportedly tweaking his calf in individual drills. The Alabama product walked off the field under his own power and went inside to be evaluated. He did not return the remainder of the day.

The Jets didn't provide an update on Williams after practice, so the severity of the injury remains unclear. Calf injuries are tricky, though, and could lead to further complications down the road. It wouldn't be a surprise if Williams missed some time this summer.

Quinnen Williams suffers calf injury during Jets practice on Thursday

The third overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Williams broke out with an All-Pro season in 2022 and hasn't looked back. While his sack numbers have dipped since his breakout campaign, he's remained one of the most productive and valuable defensive tackles in the NFL.

Among the 99 defensive tackles with at least 1,000 defensive snaps since 2022, Williams ranks second in total pressures (176), third in sacks (26), and sixth in tackles for loss (17). The only player with a higher impact play rate (11.6%) over that time, per PFF, is Aaron Donald.

By essentially every metric, Williams is one of the most impactful defensive players in football. The Jets desperately need him to be healthy and at his best this season, especially given the state of their defensive tackle room.

The Jets signed veteran stopgaps Derrick Nnadi, Byron Cowart, and Jay Tufele to compete for reps with the likes of Leonard Taylor III, Phidarian Mathis, and undrafted rookies Payton Page and Fatorma Mulbah this summer.

None of those options is particularly appealing to start alongside Williams, let alone start together if the three-time Pro Bowler is forced to miss any time. The good news is that there's plenty of time for Williams to recover and return healthy before Week 1.

Barring any sort of worst-case scenario update, Williams should be on the field again sooner rather than later. That's a relief, too, because if there's one player on this Jets defense the team can't afford to lose, it's probably him.

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