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Is Robert Quinn the missing piece of the Dallas Cowboys playoff puzzle?

By Steven Mullenax

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 20: Robert Quinn #94 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates a sack during the second quarter of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Coliseum on November 20, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 20: Robert Quinn #94 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates a sack during the second quarter of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Coliseum on November 20, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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When the Dallas Cowboys traded for pass rusher Robert Quinn, did they find the final piece that will help propel them on a deep playoff run?

Last season, the Dallas Cowboys lost five of their first eight contests. It seemed unlikely the Cowboys would be able to make a playoff run, much less win the NFC East. But the midseason trade for a single player, wide receiver Amari Cooper, changed the direction of the entire team.

Post-Amari, Dallas would go on a five game-winning streak, end up with a 10-6 record, win their division and record a playoff victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card Round, a team that beat them in Week Three. The trade may go down as one of the best in franchise history.

But despite their epic turnaround, the Cowboys once again underwhelmed in the Divisional Round, losing to the Los Angeles Rams in a game that wasn’t as close as the 30-22 score might lead you to believe. Dallas was again denied a trip to the NFC Championship Game, somewhere the Cowboys haven’t been since January of 1996.

This offseason, the Cowboys made themselves another trade. And while on the surface it may appear to simply be a move to fill a void, could it potentially lead Dallas past their Divisional Round roadblock in the postseason?

The Cowboys sent a future sixth-round selection to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for veteran defensive end Robert Quinn this offseason. Many believe the move was made as an insurance policy for missing defensive end Randy Gregory, who is currently suspended from the NFL for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Although there has been recent news that Gregory plans to submit paperwork for reinstatement soon.

Gregory was second on the team with 6.0 sacks last season and played nearly 45 percent of the defensive snaps. Quinn’s presence is expected to fill that void in production as the 29-year-old posted 6.5 sacks for the Dolphins last season in what most considered a down-year for the premier pass rusher.

Here’s what longtime DallasCowboys.com columnist Mickey Spagnola recently wrote on the team’s official website after naming Quinn as the one player who must regain top relevancy this upcoming season.

"“With so much unknown at that position with those other guys, at least Quinn is known. Think about this. His 15 sacks over the past two seasons would rank second on the Cowboys behind just D-Law’s 25, but far ahead of the second-place finisher Crawford’s 9. And his 18 tackles for losses these past two seasons matches Lawrence’s total and is far ahead of the next Cowboys defensive lineman, Collins with 7.”"

Next. The all-time best defenders to wear the Star. dark

After the Dallas Cowboys made the trade for Amari Cooper, the team was reset on a postseason trajectory. Could the trade for Robert Quinn have a similar impact on America’s Team? If Quinn is able to recapture his relevancy opposite defensive War Daddy DeMarcus Lawrence this upcoming season and puts up double-digit sack totals for the first time since 2014, the Cowboys could easily find themselves making a deep playoff run. How deep is anyone’s guess.

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