How will the Jets look to replace Quinnen Williams?

The Jets' plan at the defensive tackle has evolved significantly since Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey took over.

When they arrived,Quinnen Williams was no doubt viewed as a potentially untouchable cornerstone piece and someone New York was intending to build around to ensure they wouldn't waste his prime. The initial plan involved adding three experienced low-cost veterans in free agency, presumably to ensure he was paired with competent players.

This initial plan went awry, as Derrick Nnadi was traded after an unimpressive preseason, Byron Cowart landed on injured reserve, and Jay Tufele was banged up and a non-factor. Mougey responded with a pair of preseason trades to bring in a more expensive and established veteran option in Harrison Phillips and a promising youngster in need of an opportunity in Jowon Briggs.

After the Jets started 1-7 and Williams' frustration at the constant losing continued to build, the Cowboys came in with a competitive offer, and the Jets were prepared to part with their defensive captain.

So, with one of their most dependable players gone, where does this leave the Jets on the defensive interior?

While there is little to play for from a team standpoint over the remainder of the season, New York still has some pieces who will be back next season and could be part of the long-term solution.

Phillips remains under contract and could stick around in a veteran role, as he is considered one of the team's main locker room leaders.

Briggs will also be back because he is an exclusive rights free agent who has shown promise this year. It will be fascinating to see what he can do over the second half of the season because he figures to get a much bigger role, and potentially a starter's workload, with Williams gone.

It would be tempting to say that Briggs has a chance to become a disruptive force in the Williams mold, especially since he has two sacks and four quarterback hits this year while Williams only has one sack and three hits with a significantly higher snap count. However, the reality is that Williams draws a lot more attention in terms of double-teams and often his own disruptiveness sets up easy clean-up opportunities for a player like Briggs.

Mazi Smith, who was acquired from Dallas in the Williams trade, could also get an extended look.

Smith was a 2023 first-round pick who started every game last season, but Dallas had one of the worst run defenses in the league and he fell out of favor this season. It's worth seeing if he could benefit from a change of scenery and deliver on his untapped potential with the Jets, though.

If the Jets are keen to develop another stud defensive tackle via the draft, this year's top prospect could be Peter Woods from Clemson, who some experts believe could be the first defensive player selected. However, with the Jets widely possibly using their first pick on a quarterback, they may instead need to consider some of the defensive tackles who will be available on Day Two or at the end of the first round. Players in the ballpark of 325 pounds and upwards who could be viable selections at those later stages could include Florida's Caleb Banks, Oregon's A'Mauri Washington, and Ohio State's Kayden McDonald.

The Jets saved a lot of money by trading Williams and Sauce Gardner,and have an opportunity to make a big splash in free agency despite the fact they still need to account for dead money relating to players like Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams.

Unfortunately, that's probably not a viable plan to address this position effectively.No players of anything like Williams' caliber are likely to be available, so teams will primarily be limited to looking for players who still have untapped potential, older veterans they hope still have something in the tank, or reclamation projects.

There are a few veterans in their thirties who could hit the market and might be useful short-term additions, such as D.J. Reader, who played for Glenn in Detroit, but that kind of player could just turn out to be a stopgap. One player who is yet to hit his prime and in line for a big payday is Baltimore's Travis Jones. It would be uncharacteristic for the Ravens to let a player like Jones hit the market, but if he does, he could be the top defensive tackle in this year's free agency class.