PHILADELPHIA − The Eagles, clearly gearing up for a playoff run, are trading for Chicago Bears pass rusher Robert Quinn, adding much-needed depth and experience to the defensive line.
Quinn has had 19 sacks in one season early in his career and 18½ sacks last season. And he’s tied for sixth among active players with 102 sacks for his career. But Quinn has also struggled in recent seasons, with 2½ sacks in 2020 and just one sack this season in seven games.
ESPN reported that the Eagles are sending the Bears a fourth-round pick in 2023.
The 32-year-old Quinn can rotate in with Brandon Graham, who’s 34, and Josh Sweat, providing more depth after Derek Barnett tore his ACL in Week 1. The Eagles have tried to limit Graham’s playing time to keep him fresh. It has worked for the most part. Graham has three sacks through six games while playing 43% of the snaps.
It will likely be the same with Quinn, who had been playing 68% of the snaps for the Bears.
“I think it’s another great player on this team,” Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said shortly after hearing about the trade. “He has a history of being a great defensive end and edge rusher. I think he’ll help us out in a number of ways. He adds a lot of depth, and I’m excited to meet him.”
Quinn was drafted in the first round, 14th overall, in 2011 by the then-St. Louis Rams. He had a career-high 19 sacks in 2013 and had 62½ sacks in seven seasons with the Rams franchise, which moved to Los Angeles in 2017.
Quinn spent the 2018 season with the Miami Dolphins (6½ sacks) and the 2019 season with the Cowboys (11½ sacks), before going to the Bears in 2020.
Quinn is the third major player the Eagles have traded for during the calendar year. They got wide receiver A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans on draft night in April and safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson from the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 31.
In addition, the Eagles have signed veteran free agents in pass rusher Haason Reddick, linebacker Kyzir White and cornerback James Bradberry during the offseason.
All of the new players have played well for the Eagles, and head coach Nick Sirianni said that’s no accident.
“I think that’s always important,” Sirianni said before the trade about adding players who can fit in. “You look at everything. We know we have a good culture. We have good teammates. We have good players on this team. You want whoever you bring in to be able to fit in.
“The trend of what I see on this team from our leaders and our guys on this team is that a lot of guys can fit into this team because of the leaders that we have.”
It’s reminiscent of the 2017 season, when the Eagles traded for running back Jay Ajayi at the trade deadline, also giving up a fourth-round pick. The Eagles won the Super Bowl that season.
It’s very likely that Quinn is a rental player for the rest of the season. He’s in the third year of a five-year deal worth as much as $70 million. Quinn has salary cap hits of $17.1 million this year, $18.2 million in 2023 and $17.2 million in 2024. But the Eagles can save $8 million off the cap by releasing him next spring.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
