Quinnen Williams, Malachi Moore to Miss Time with Injuries: Just a Minute

New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams sustained a left calf strain during drills at Thursday's practice. Head coach Aaron Glenn said Friday that Williams would find himself sidelined from one to two weeks. The former Alabama star will be available for the start of the regular season next month.

Williams won the Outland Trophy in 2018 as the best interior lineman in college football. Following that breakout season, he entered the 2019 NFL Draft and was picked by the Jets at No. 3 overall. Since then, he's been an All-Pro and made three Pro Bowl teams. New York gave him an extension worth $96 million in the summer of 2023.

Moore was chosen in the fourth round of the NFL Draft this past spring with the 130th pick. The rookie, who played five years at Alabama and was a team captain last fall, suffered an oblique strain. ESPN's Rich Cimini reports his timeline is multiple weeks.

It's a tough break in particular for Moore, who will miss out on early practice reps ahead of his first professional regular season. Williams is a veteran, and as one of the most talented players on the Jets team, doesn't necessarily have as much to prove as a rookie seeking to establish himself.

"We want to make sure this player is going to be good. We know what he's all about. We know what he can do," Glenn said of Williams. "He'll be just fine." Both Williams and Moore did not practice on Friday. One of the fears with a calf strain is that it might foreshadow an Achilles injury, which is among the most devastating in sports.

Glenn did say that Williams' time on the shelf is precautionary in nature. There is little benefit associated with trying to power through something like this to play preseason games, when it can be healed from, while making it worse can usher in disastrous consequences.

The Jets have not made the playoffs since the 2010-11 season. That means Williams has never experienced a postseason in the NFL. During recent seasons, the Jets have had elevated expectations only to disappoint, a big reason why Glenn was hired as the team's new coach.

For New York to end that postseason drought and reach the playoffs after an absence spanning well over a decade, it needs Williams on the field, healthy and contributing at a high level. As for Moore, the same applies; the team needs him developing to his maximum potential.