Finishing the 2019 season with the 29th-ranked defense in the NFL, the Las Vegas Raiders need to get better and fast. Besides looking for young talent in the draft, bolstering their defensive front with a veteran like Robert Quinn could accelerate their rebuild.
For the Las Vegas Raiders defensive unit, there’s nowhere to go but up. And, flush with salary-cap space and need all over the field, the Silver and Black would be wise to pursue Dallas Cowboys defensive end Robert Quinn.
With Jon Gruden bringing in former Cowboys coach, and current Raiders defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, Quinn makes sense and could be exactly what Las Vegas’ young defensive front needs.
Quinn, a 29-year old bargain of a pass rusher, played extremely well under Marinell after being traded over in the Miami Dolphins fire sale last year. The nine-year NFL veteran finished 2019 with 11.5 sacks, 37 quarterback pressures, and forced two fumbles and would compliment a young defensive front made up of Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell on the EDGE. Not only would he bolster the position for the Raiders, but he also would do so without taking too many snaps from Ferrell and Crosby, rotating and allowing all to flourish.
Quinn has indicated he wants to be an every-down pass rusher, but with the Raiders current roster, and the likely addition of more bodies in the draft and free agency, he could be placated by enough snaps to keep him happy in Las Vegas.
Quinn is exactly the kind of situational pass rusher the Raiders could use as part of their youth movement. He might be 30, but the addition of his veteran leadership amongst a talented young group could be the ingredient Las Vegas needs upfront to spark the growth needed. He’s had some back issues over the past two seasons but nothing serious enough to cause concerns.
Last season, Quinn missed two games due to an NFL PED suspension but has had no issues since.
Marinelli has spoken highly of Quinn so the marriage in the desert makes sense. The Raiders may have to pay him a nice chunk of change coming off a double-digit sack season, but they most likely can get him to agree to a short-term deal with his advancing years. He’s not exactly as sexy as signing as say a Yannick Ngakoue would be, but he’s good enough and additive enough to have a great impact on the Raiders in 2020.
So, what are the chances Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden sign the big DE? We’d say Las Vegas has an inside track on Quinn due to that close relationship with Marinelli.
After all, while the nickname is taken and revered in Oakland already because of Ken Stabler, Marinelli did dub Quinn the “Snake” due to his prowess in pass-rush situations.
Sounds like Quinn would fit right in with the Raiders.
What do you think? Should the Raiders sign Quinn? Or should they think bigger?