Undefeated Eagles get trade boost with former Cowboys pass rusher
Up until Wednesday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys were preparing to figure out how to face and stop DE Robert Quinn in their game against the Chicago Bears this weekend.
It turns out they lucked out against facing the Pro Bowler… for now.
On Wednesday, the Cowboys’ main NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles traded a fourth-round pick to the Bears in exchange for the veteran pass rusher. Now, Dallas still needs to prepare for him, but it won’t be until Christmas Eve.
This marks yet another massive move from Eagles GM Howie Roseman. Many are seeing this deal as a steal because of the veteran’s capabilities and the fact that the Bears will still have to pick up the majority of his salary for this season. Quinn carries an $18.237 million cap hit for 2023 and has $7.9 million of his $12.8 million base salary for 2022 remaining.
The defender may be 32 years old, but there is zero doubt that he will be a huge weapon for an already strong Eagles defense that ranks fourth in Defensive Value Over Average through Week 7.
BREAKING: Bears trading DE Robert Quinn to the Eagles. (via @RapSheet + @MikeGarafolo) pic.twitter.com/XQ1K3m0d0l
— NFL (@NFL) October 26, 2022
Howie Roseman strikes again by adding DE Robert Quinn to Cowboys rivals’ defense
Quinn was a former first-round pick by the Rams in 2011. He played six seasons with the Rams before beginning a series of trades. The defensive end spent 2018 with Miami and 2019 with Dallas, before heading to Chicago where he’s spent the last three seasons.
Dallas fans will likely remember Quinn for his 11.5-sack season in 2019. That performance is what earned him his massive deal with the Bears.
In his 11-year career thus far, Quinn has played 163 games, forced 32 fumbles, collected 102 sacks, made 367 tackles (109 TFL), and amassed 176 QB Hits.
Mike McCarthy on the Bears trading DE Robert Quinn to the Eagles: “I had mixed feelings.” Happy when he heard they wouldn’t be facing him this week, but “When I heard where he went, I said uh-oh.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 27, 2022
The 3x Pro Bowler broke the Bears’ single-season sack record last year at 31 years old with 18.5 sacks, which was the second-best sack record for him. He recorded 19.0 in 2013 with the Los Angeles Rams.
His statistics have fallen off a bit this year, but he has also been double-teamed more than most defenders. He is still regarded as one of the top pass-rushers in this league and now joins an already-strong defense in Philadelphia. The Eagles already have 17 sacks and 39 QB hits through Week 7, but this move is likely about depth after losing Derek Barnett to an ACL tear in Week 1.
The Cowboys now need to prepare for Quinn, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, and Tarron Jackson to terrorize the offensive line and quarterback. It’s not a great sign.
It’s, in fact, so jarring that former Cowboy and current ESPN broadcaster Marcus Spears was visibly beside himself when the news broke on NFL Live.
Here’s what Spears had to say after he collected himself:
"“Bruh, Howie Roseman got to be the damn Executive of the Decade. You hear me? I don’t understand it, man. How do you get better? He did everything he needed to do this offseason. He got A.J. Brown and kept draft picks. Now, you go get one of the better pass rushers, Robert Quinn, who a lot of people don’t really talk about because of the team he’s been on. You add him to the Eagles, man, who already is an elite team trending towards being the favorite for the NFC representative in the Super Bowl. You add a pass rusher, a dynamic guy.“Yesterday, the Dallas Cowboys add [Jonathan] Hankins, and I’m like, ‘Yes. We have fortified the interior of this line of scrimmage. We can defend the run.’ Because we got pass rushers. And I say ‘we’ because yeah, I’m in fan mode right now when it comes to the Cowboys. Then, Howie Roseman goes out and says, ‘I’ll raise you, and I’ll go get Robert Quinn coupled with already being an undefeated football team.’ I’m sick of it, y’all. I’m sick of it.”"
The NFC East has gone from worst to best in a matter of a season, and the Eagles are giving everyone in and out of the division a run for their money. Clearly, Roseman is in a Super Bowl or bust mentality right now.
