The Chicago Bears trading Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles wasn’t a huge shock. There were rumors the veteran pass rusher might get dealt since the summer. GM Ryan Poles kept the phones open. Either he didn’t receive an offer he wanted, or he’d hoped keeping Quinn might give the Bears a nice jolt to compete in a weak NFC. After a 3-4 start to the season, he realized where his team was at. Rather than hold out hope, the GM decided to send the 32-year-old elsewhere.
It’s a mutually beneficial deal for everybody involved. Philadelphia lands a proven pass rusher for their depleted defensive line. Quinn joins the best team in the conference, a current favorite to reach the Super Bowl. Chicago secured a 4th round pick and additional cap space for the 2023 off-season. Yet everybody knows a debate must be had about who “won” the trade. Seth Walder of ESPN examined the details and gave the Bears are grade for their efforts.
While not impressed, he wasn’t discouraged either.
“Grade for the Bears: B-
The Bears had to trade Quinn. I was surprised it didn’t happen before the season, to be honest. But for a rebuilding team Quinn was too good, too old and cost too much against the salary cap to remain in Chicago, where his production and cost would be wasted.
Despite beating the New England Patriots on “Monday Night Football” and having a 3-4 record, credit the Bears for knowing who they are: non-contenders. ESPN’s Football Power Index considered Chicago the 27th best team in the NFL prior to the Quinn deal. Trading Quinn arms the Bears with an extra pick and some cap space they can roll into the future for when they intend to seriously compete.
The compensation is a little lighter than what I expected given Quinn’s incredible production a year ago. Ultimately, though, the Bears had to take the best offer available to them before the deadline.”
Trading Robert Quinn was the right call by the Bears.
Keeping him made no sense. This team isn’t competing for a Super Bowl. They’re probably at least two or three years away from talking about that. Poles didn’t cling to hope as some of his predecessors would’ve. He maintained a clear vision of where his team was. Trading Quinn might not help them for the rest of 2022, but it would help them in 2023 and beyond. That is where the Bears’ heads are at right now.
Moving Robert Quinn off the table also grants the added benefit of more snaps for Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson. These are two young, talented defensive ends with potential worth exploring. More snaps equal more experience. If either of them shows significant progress during the remaining ten games, the Bears will know where the focus should be when the off-season begins.
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The upcoming draft class appears deep with edge rushers. Poles will have a chance to bolster the position.
Thomas Gena, WTH are you talking about??? This year was never about competing. Ryan Pace left behind a deficit too large for any GM to fix in one year. No cap space, minimal draft picks, and still saddled with players having large contracts. Poles is doing the correct thing- build thru the draft & continue to stockpile draft picks, and free up cap space. Next year, he will be able to sign some good players, have plenty of draft picks, and if he’s smart, he wont spend all the cap money. Its called saving for a rainy day(future)
Trading Robert Quinn may have been the right call — but the timing was completely wrong.
Poles missed a golden opportunity to make the 2022 Bears even better when he traded Khalil Mack; but failed to trade Robert Quinn.
A 4th round pick to be freed of that contract over the next 2 years is great too.
Terrible grade, but not surprising from ESPN. Listening to actual Bears journalists they were talking about struggling to get a 6th for Quinn before it happened and they are the ones that see the Bears day in day out…Wish Quinn the very best but it was the right move!
B- is a little light. We basically got a 4th round pick for a guy who’s been loafing all year. He looked okay against New England, but he still wasn’t getting home on sacks.