After losing Randy Gregory in free agency in free agency, the Dallas Cowboys pass rush remains a work-in-progress. However, one of the best NFL defenders might be available through trade. Robert Quinn, the Bears’ star pass rusher, continues to be mentioned in trade reports. The Cowboys are familiar with Quinn because he once wore a star helmet. Quinn played 14 games in 2019, scoring 11.5 sacks and 22 touchdown passes. He also had 34 tackles.
To sign a lucrative five year, $70 million contract with Chicago in 2020, the defender fled Dallas. There is growing speculation that Quinn would like to trade and the Cowboys need more defensive line firepower.
Although Chicago had publicly committed to Quinn’s retention, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora predicted the Bears would trade Quinn.
“I continue to hear that Quinn wants out of Chicago – and who could blame him? – and there are a host of interested teams,” La Canfora wrote on May 20. “Bears brass has told everyone he ain’t going anywhere, but they will keep asking and that’s not lost on the veteran defensive end. The Bears look hapless, they dealt fellow veteran pass rusher Khalil Mack already, and Akiem Hicks doesn’t seem likely at all to be back.
Quinn has just come off a huge season, with 18.5 sacks. The team is currently in transition. Quinn is 32 years old and eager to win. He also has a great deal this season ($13M). If he is dealt, he would likely get incentives. This will only get worse if the Bears are as bad and unrelenting as I think. He could end up being the prize in the trade-deadline marketplace, if not for the incentives he would receive (which I believe is more than Von Miller one year ago).
Quinn continues to perform at a high level , with 18.5 sacks in 2020, second in NFL behind Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt. In his 16 games last season, Quinn also recorded 49 tackles, 22 quarterback hits, and four forced fumbles.
The Cowboys would need to pay Quinn a similar price to what the Broncos received from the Rams last fall in the Von Miller trade. In exchange for Miller, Denver was given second- and third-round picks by the Rams in the 2022 NFL draft. La Canfora stated that Quinn will be available to interested teams if they surpass the Miller deal.
He has three years left on his current contract, which runs through 2024. Quinn will be able to earn a $12.8million salary in 2022, given his 12 year NFL career. The Cowboys still have $20 million in cap space per Spotrac. This is enough to accommodate Quinn.
Quinn would allow the Cowboys to be more versatile in their position play, with Quinn being able to play both linebacker and defensive end. DeMarcus Lawrence, Micah Parsons and Micah Parsons will lead the Cowboys’ pass rush efforts in 2022. Dallas hopes that Dante Fowler Jr. and rookie Sam Williams will be key players in the rotation. Chauncey Golston and Tarell Basham are two returning veterans worth keeping an eye on. Quinn’s availability has been a mystery to the Bears’ front office.
“The Bears have not yet purchased pass-rusher Robert Quinn,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted April 27. “Quinn mentioned some uncertainty in his interview, and other teams have been watching him closely, but Chicago isn’t shopping him.”
Jerry Jones, Cowboys owner, might want to go back to his aggressive roots by spending big to buy Quinn from the Bears. The Cowboys would be better off if Quinn, an imposing pass rusher, was part of their defensive system.
Two Quinns is better than one, and the Cowboys have two.