The NFL Trade Deadline is 13 days away, and chatter around moves the Chicago Bears might make is heating up.
And with one player in particular.
Robert Quinn is reportedly on the block according to Jason La Canfora, who writes for the Washington Post:
“The Chicago Bears are a mess again, and they are in a rebuild even if they don’t want to admit it, although pawning off Khalil Mack should have been evidence enough. Now, after the Bears told teams through the offseason that they didn’t want to part with Robert Quinn, their other veteran pass rusher, multiple NFL executives (speaking on the condition of anonymity because they are not permitted to discuss players on other rosters) told me Quinn is indeed being shopped around with the trade deadline a few weeks away.”
If you read through that and it gave you a familiar feeling, it might be because it was La Canfora sharing that he was hearing that Quinn was wanting out of Chicago last May. Or you might remember reports from April that teams were “sniffing around” Quinn for a possible trade right before the NFL Draft. With that being said, I understand if you were rolling your eyes while reading La Canfora’s reporting. HOWEVER, there is a small (but significant) difference between what JLC is reporting now and what was being reported during the offseason. That difference is that the Bears are shopping Quinn (as opposed to teams checking in with the Bears in search of making a move). It might not seem like much, but it isn’t inconsequential.
Unfortunately, the Bears couldn’t have chosen a worse time to shop Quinn. Quinn has just 1 quarterback sack, 1 tackle-for-loss, and 2 quarterback hits in six games this season. PFF grades Quinn 114th among the 115 edge defenders who qualify for the site’s leaderboard. You literally couldn’t pick a worse time to dangle a player on the trade block. The timing is so bad, one GM who spoke with La Canfora anonymously said the Bears will need to eat some of what’s left on Quinn’s contract in order to move him in a trade. You really couldn’t have picked a worse time. Especially after his trade stock was at its peak last summer. Then again, it takes two to tango. And for what it’s worth, ESPN’s survey of league executives gave us a good idea as to why Quinn remains a Bear to this day.
Then again, perhaps Quinn’s value isn’t at rock bottom. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently created hypothetical trade proposals for the Bears. One submission from Barnwell had the Bears sending Quinn to the Rams. In exchange, the Bears would get third-round picks in 2023 and 2024. Perhaps eating some of Quinn’s contract helps the Bears secure multiple Day 2 picks. Or maybe a desperate Rams team aiming to repeat as Super Bowl champions ponies up with an offer the Bears can’t refuse. In any case, given how Quinn has played and the Bears’ need to add draft capital, this is the kind of trade I’d run to the phone and make without blinking.
To be clear, none of this is about a desire to move Quinn off of the roster. But instead, it is more about big-picture team building. A Quinn trade could bring the Bears draft picks and open additional playing time for young players. It sure would be nice to get longer looks at Trevis Gipson and rookie Dominique Robinson. Having good, fun, and productive players is cool. But the Bears season spiraling early brings clarity to what they should be looking to do at the trade deadline. If they’ll get around to doing what must be done remains to be seen. But stay tuned.