Howie Roseman is at it again. The Philadelphia Eagles have added to their already excellent roster by acquiring veteran edge rusher Robert Quinn from the Chicago Bears, as Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported. The Bears will pick up a fourth-round pick from the Eagles, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Quinn had long been rumored to be on the trade market, and Philadelphia always seems willing to add defensive line talent. Let’s grade the trade for both teams and Quinn himself.
Grading the Trade: Eagles Trade For Bears Pass Rusher Robert Quinn
Quinn is the fifth player we’ve seen traded in the past week-plus, joining Robbie Anderson, Christian McCaffrey, James Robinson, and Johnathan Hankins. With the NFL’s Nov. 1 trade deadline quickly approaching, there will be more deals in the coming days.
Eagles Acquire Quinn
The Eagles are the only undefeated team remaining in the NFL, and even if they were determined to make a trade before the deadline, there weren’t that many areas of their roster that could have used improvement.
Philadelphia’s defensive line is already stacked, but the unit did lose Derek Barnett to a season-ending injury earlier this year. Thus, they’ll essentially be replacing Barnett’s lost snaps with reps from Quinn, who represents a significant upgrade.
Quinn, 32, posted a career resurgence in 2021 when he posted 18.5 sacks and earned a second-team All-Pro nod. He hasn’t continued on that same track this year.
Quinn has only managed one sack, and his overall pressure numbers are down. Still, he’s clearly still capable of high-end play, and we’ve seen veterans look reinvigorated after joining winning teams in the past.
In Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, and Brandon Graham, the Eagles already have three above-average pass rushers — and that doesn’t even include Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, and Jordan Davis, who can get after opposing passers from the interior.
But Philadelphia always wants a wave of pass-rushing threats at its disposal. The Eagles only blitz on 22.8% of dropbacks, the 12th-lowest rate in the league, so they need to create pressure with their front four. Adding Quinn, even as a depth piece, will help Philadelphia’s entire front stay fresh.
Plus, the Eagles didn’t give up much to acquire Quinn. They’ll give up a fourth-round pick, but the Bears will pay most of Quinn’s remaining salary, which should come to around $9 million, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Media.
Quinn has salaries of $13.9 million in 2023 and $12.9 million in 2024, but none of that money is guaranteed. If Quinn plays well over the next few months, the Eagles could keep him and restructure his deal. If he struggles, they can move on without incurring any dead money.
Philadelphia still has plenty of draft capital in future years, including an extra first-rounder in 2023 and an additional second-rounder in 2024. Adding Quinn at what will essentially be a league minimum salary for a draft choice that will fall after pick No. 100 is a clear win.
Grade: A
Bears Supplement Rebuild By Trading Quinn
It makes all the sense in the world for the Bears to trade Quinn. At 3-4, Chicago isn’t really in the playoff race, and Quinn won’t be around by the time the Bears are competitive again. So, acquiring draft capital for an aged asset is a sound business strategy.
Having said that, it’s surprising Chicago couldn’t extract more than a fourth-round pick in exchange for Quinn. Edge rushers are hard to find, and nearly every team in the postseason picture could stand to add another pressure creator.
That alone should have driven Quinn’s price up. The fact that the Bears were willing to eat most of his salary should have driven it up even further.
Last season, the Broncos picked up second- and third-round selections from the Rams in exchange for Von Miller. Sure, Miller is a future Hall of Famer, while Quinn isn’t at that level. But the gap in talent and impact isn’t equivalent to the difference in cost.
General manager Ryan Poles surely shopped Quinn around the league before trading him, so perhaps this is simply the best offer the Bears received. But it’s an incredibly disappointing return, especially when financials are factored into the equation.
Grade: D+
Quinn Joins the Playoff Race
Quinn moves from a team in the midst of a long-term rebuild to a club that’s the clear favorite to win the NFC. He’s only made the playoffs twice in his 12-year career. Now, Quinn is in an excellent position to bring home a Lombardi Trophy.
Quinn was playing 68% of Chicago’s defensive snaps, but that rate should go down in Philadelphia thanks to their bevy of pass rushers. Reduced playing time could prevent wear and tear and potentially allow Quinn to add another year to his career.
He’ll also be featured in more high-profile games now that he’s been dealt to Philadelphia. If Quinn performs well over the rest of the season, but the Eagles can make his salary work in 2023, he could hit the free agent market with the chance to land one last multi-year contract.
Grade: A+