LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The undefeated Philadelphia Eagles already have one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Now they’re adding another pass rusher to the mix.
The Eagles acquired three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Robert Quinn from the Chicago Bears for a 2023 fourth-round pick on Wednesday.
Teams said the trade is pending a physical review.
Quinn goes from a rebuilding franchise to a Super Bowl contender. The Eagles (6-0) are the only undefeated team. Philadelphia, after a bye, hosts Pittsburgh on Sunday.
“I think he’s another great player on this team,” Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said. “He used to be a great defensive end and a top forward. I think it will help us in several ways. Adds a lot of depth, and I’m excited to meet it. I am delighted to meet him (Thursday) when he comes.
Quinn, 32, got off to a slow start with just one sack and three quarterback hits after opting out of offseason practices. But he broke Hall of Famer Richard Dent’s franchise record with 18 1/2 sacks last year during a resurgent season.
“I appreciate – I think I’ve talked about it a lot – the dressing room and what it means and the culture and it (stinks) of playing with it, to be completely honest with you,” the general manager said. of the Bears, Ryan Poles.
“But again, my job is to do what’s best for this organization, not just now, but in the future. I felt like it was the best decision for us.
With Quinn, an Eagles defensive line that already features Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Javon Hargrave, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Jordan Davis becomes all the more intimidating. He replaces defensive end Derek Barnett, who tore his ACL in Game 1 in Detroit.
The Eagles are holding their opponents to 297.8 yards per game, which is fourth in the NFL. They are fifth against the pass at 188 yards and second in interceptions with nine. When it comes to sacks, they’re tied for 10th with 17. And that’s one area where Quinn could help.
He has 102 sacks over 12 seasons with the Rams, Miami, Dallas and Chicago. Quinn was an All-Pro with St. Louis in 2013 when he had a career-high 19 sacks and made his second straight Pro Bowl the following year. He went from 11 1/2 sacks with Dallas in 2019 to just two for Chicago in 2020.
Quinn rebounded in a big way last year and seemed like a likely candidate to be traded in the offseason given the Bears were essentially starting over. They hired the Poles and coach Matt Eberflus to replace laid off Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy after missing the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 years.
But Poles said trading Quinn in the offseason was not his intention.
“I know I wanted Robert in this team at the start,” he said. “There weren’t a lot of conversations at all. I was transparent with them – him and his crewー about it. I knew the way he was playing this game, the engine and all that.
He said the Bears “needed this” to “jumpstart” the performance of the defense under Eberflus and new coordinator Alan Williams.
Quinn, meanwhile, had repeatedly said he’d rather stay with the Bears than be traded. Pole said he was unsure of the impact his play this season has had on his market value.
When the deal closed, he caught star linebacker Roquan Smith off guard. He was on the dais speaking to reporters when the news surfaced and he became emotional.
“Man. Yeah man. (It stinks),” he said, wiping his eyes with his shirt.
We asked him how.
“Let me take a second for a second, if you don’t mind,” Smith replied. After about 10 seconds, he continued, “You know, I have a lot of respect for this guy, you know. Damn. Mad.”
Smith got up and walked away, ending a brief session. A team spokesperson told reporters: “We’ll have you tomorrow.”
The Bears (3-4) visit the Dallas Cowboys (5-2) on Sunday. Chicago is coming off a surprising win at New England on Monday night.
Although they struggled on the run, the Bears were one of the best at defending the pass. But now they are without one of their most important players.
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