Through the first part of the 2022 regular season, the Philadelphia Eagles have been the talk of the NFL, and a lot of that has to do with the significant offseason moves they made. However, it appears that the Eagles aren’t done bolstering their roster, as the organization revealed on Wednesday that they had acquired defensive end Robert Quinn in exchange for a fourth-round pick from the Chicago Bears.
Through seven games, the pass-rusher has eight total tackles and one sack. Quinn, who is 32 years old, has nonetheless made a significant contribution. Just last year, he played in 16 games, recorded 18.5 sacks, and was named to the Pro Bowl in addition to receiving All-Pro recognition.
The St. Louis Rams selected the former No. 14 overall pick out of North Carolina in 2011. In three of his first four NFL seasons, Quinn had double-digit sack totals, including a career-high 19 sacks in 2013. Quinn was traded before; in 2018, he went to the Miami Dolphins, and in 2019, he went to the Dallas Cowboys. In advance of the 2020 season, Quinn signed with the Bears following those two one-year contracts.
The Bears will cover the remaining $7.1 million of Quinn’s base salary this year, according to NFL Media. His five-year, $70 million contract has two years left, and Philly will now be responsible for paying his non-guaranteed base salaries of $14 million in 2023 and $13 million in 2024. Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham, Philly’s current defensive ends, have combined for 5.5 sacks in their six games of action. Quinn will blend in seamlessly with this great defense.
How do we rate this trade? As follows:
Eagles: A-
Howie Roseman, leave. The Eagles’ action demonstrates how committed they are to winning the Super Bowl. Recall how Von Miller was acquired by the Rams last year at the trade deadline? Quinn is not Miller, but this maneuver is comparable. It might serve as a further catalyst for a good defense to improve as Philadelphia returns from its bye week prepared to compete. Quinn isn’t a youngster, but he proved last season that he’s still a valuable player.
With Graham and Sweat, Philly gains an accomplished pass-rusher who can move around. Although a fourth-round pick is a reasonable price to pay for a 32-year-old, it’s wonderful that the Bears will cover Quinn’s remaining base salary of $7.1 million this year.
B- for Bears
It appears that the Bears will be burdening Dominique Robinson and Trevis Gipson with extra responsibilities as a result of this move. Quinn was apparently being shopped about by the Bears this month as the trade deadline drew near, and they discovered a willing partner in the Eagles. At face value, a fourth-round pick for Quinn seems like a good deal, but if the Bears hadn’t been covering $7.1 million of Quinn’s remaining base salary this year, this selection might have been a fifth. According to Over The Cap, the Bears now have the top 10 most open cap space at $6.69 million. Quinn was a superb athlete, but one of these younger players might be able to start at defensive end.
