Quinnen: ‘I got to do much more’

Gregg Williams said he believes Quinnen Williams has already taken “the next step” in his evolution as a player.

The Jets’ second-year defensive lineman didn’t shoot down such praise from his defensive coordinator, yet there is so much more he feels capable of being able to do right now.

Week 1, in his eyes, wasn’t good enough.

“I got to do much more. I have to go out there and give it my all — every single play, every single down,” the 6-foot-3, 303-pound lineman said Friday. “I got to be a dog out there on the field, man.”

After a lackluster rookie year in which he missed three games because of injury and produced 2.5 sacks and 28 tackles in 13 games, Quinnen Williams got into better shape in the offseason, dropping six pounds and adding muscle after changing his diet and training routine. In August, the third-overall pick of the 2019 draft said, “I’m going to be unstoppable.” His mindset hasn’t changed. “That’s what I expect from myself,” he said. “My standards are super high for myself, so I feel like I haven’t [done] what I can do and I should be doing.”

Williams was only credited with three tackles and half of a tackle for loss in the setback to the Bills, but Gregg Williams saw a player disrupting the opposing offense, creating pressure and helping to stop the run.

“He was a part of, a major part of why the quarterback couldn’t step up into the pocket and was bouncing out of the pocket,” the defensive coordinator said. “He did a very good job of collapsing the pocket. With him too, got to get the ball out, punch the ball out, or get the big quarterback down, but he’s taken the next step and you know, we’re only going to see him do that week, by week, by week. He’s healthy and he’s playing very well.”

Asked to rate his own performance against the Bills, Quinnen Williams said he felt good about it. But he also indicated he was far from satisfied.

“I know,” he said, “I can do more.”