GREEN BAY, WI - SEPTEMBER 18: Chicago Bears linebacker Robert Quinn (94) tries to get by Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Yosh Nijman (73) during a game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears on September 18, 2022 at Lambeau Field in G …
PHILADELPHIA - The undefeated Philadelphia Eagles acquired three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Robert Quinn from the Chicago Bears on Wednesday, a person familiar with the situation said.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the teams haven’t announced the move. Chicago gets a fourth-round pick in return. The NFL Network and ESPN first reported the trade.
Quinn goes from a rebuilding franchise to a Super Bowl contender. The Eagles (6-0) are the lone undefeated team and have one of the NFL's best defenses. Philadelphia, coming off a bye, hosts Pittsburgh on Sunday.
The 32-year-old Quinn is off to a slow start with just one sack and three quarterback hits. But he broke Hall of Famer Richard Dent's franchise record with 18 1/2 sacks last year in a resurgent season.
With Quinn, an Eagles defensive line that already has Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Javon Hargrave, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Jordan Davis becomes that much more daunting. He replaces defensive end Derek Barnett, who tore an ACL in the opener at Detroit.
The Eagles are holding opponents to 297.8 yards per game, which is fourth in the NFL. They're fifth against the pass at 188 yards and rank second in interceptions with nine. When it comes to sacks, they're tied for 10th with 17. And that's an 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 bounced back in a huge way last year and seemed a likely candidate to be traded in the offseason considering the Bears were essentially starting over.
Chicago hired general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus after firing Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy, hoping the new regime would lift a franchise that had missed the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 years. Quinn had said several times he would rather remain with the Bears than be traded.
When the deal finally materialized, it caught star linebacker Roquan Smith off guard. He was at the dais addressing reporters when the news surfaced and he became emotional.
"Man. Yeah, man. (Stinks)," he said, wiping his eyes with his shirt.
He was asked how so.
"Let me take a second for a second, if you don’t mind," Smith responded. After about 10 seconds, he continued: "You know, I have a great deal of respect for that guy, you know. Damn. Crazy."
Smith got up and walked away, ending a brief session. A team spokesman told reporters, "We’ll get 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.
Though they've struggled against the run, the Bears have been one of the best at defending the pass. But now, they're without one of their most important players.