Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman seems to be active on many fronts ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
With Philadelphia as the only undefeated team remaining in the NFL, it makes sense that the usually active Roseman might look to add another valuable piece ahead of the trade deadline.
Philadelphia has already been linked to Carolina Panthers star edge rusher Brian Burns. But it appears that Carolina’s asking price makes a trade on that front nearly impossible. It also kicked the tires on acquiring Christian McCaffrey from the aforementioned Panthers before he was dealt to the conference-rival San Francisco 49ers.
We now have another report from Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated indicating that the Eagles are one of a few potential landing spots for Chicago Bears All-Pro pass rusher Robert Quinn.
“A Patriots’ win could accelerate the Bears’ approach ahead of the trade deadline and, in that regard, I’ve got my eyes on 32-year-old pass rusher Robert Quinn. I think teams such as the Eagles, Titans, Ravens and Rams probably will, too.”
Report on Philadelphia Eagles’ interest in Robert Quinn
Philadelphia boasts an additional first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and a second rounder in 2023 stemming from its draft day trade with the New Orleans Saints this past April. While Quinn wouldn’t cost any of those selections, it gives Roseman and Co. more flexibility than other teams.
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Robert Quinn could make sense for the Philadelphia Eagles
There’s some major financial hurdles to overcome here. Quinn is currently playing under a five-year, $70 million contract he signed with Chicago back in March of 2020.
In addition to a pro-rated amount of his $12.8 million base in 2022, the Eagles would be on the hook for relatively large cap hits over the next two seasons.
- 2023: $13.9 million
- 2024: $12.9 million
Assuming Philadelphia can take on roughly $7.5 million this season, it could then look to work out a restructure with Quinn during the spring. If not, something would have to come to fruition on that end before a trade could be worked out.
What we do know is that Quinn would be a tremendous addition to the Eagles’ defensive front. While he has struggled to an extent getting going this season, the former first-round pick was among the most-productive pass rushers in the NFL last year.
- Robert Quinn stats (2021): 49 tackles, 17 for loss, 22 QB hits, 18.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles
That type of talent doesn’t die down within the matter of months. More than anything, Quinn’s struggles in 2022 could have to do with Matt Eberflus’ new defensive scheme in the Windy City.
Free-agent signing Haason Reddick leads the Philadelphia Eagles with 4.5 sacks through six games. Veterans Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox are second with three sacks each. The issue here is that they are merely part-time players at this stage in their careers.
Graham has not played in as much as 50% of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps in any of the six games this season.
Despite somewhat of a decline in production this season, Quinn is still playing in north of 65% of the Bears’ defensive snaps. At the very least, he would give Philadelphia another outside pass-rush option with Derek Barnett lost for the season to a torn ACL.
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Philadelphia heads into Week 8 with the fourth-best scoring defense in the NFL. Its secondary has dominated opposing quarterbacks (seven touchdown passes, nine interceptions). Acquiring someone like Quinn would help this unit improve even more.
And in reality, the cost would be less significant than continuing to engage the Panthers in dialogue about Brian Burns.