The Cowboys’ addition of Robert Quinn this offseason was a bit testy. After receiving permission from the Miami Dolphins to seek employment elsewhere via a trade, Quinn checked out two southern cities in Dallas and New Orleans, considering the Saints franchise as well. The nine-year veteran spent his 2018 season on South Beach after being in St. Louis and Los Angeles with the Rams for the first seven years of his career.
While he wasn’t exactly a free agent, Quinn did have the first opportunity of his career to go on a travel circuit, abbreviated as it might have been. Following his third season with the Rams, the club exercised their fifth-year option in April 2014 and signed him to a multi-year extension in September. With two years remaining he was traded to Miami in 2018 but a staff upheaval and eye towards tanking had the Dolphins ready to part ways. Dallas put the press on and was fortunate to land the edge rusher.
“Sometimes your gut leads you in the right direction,” Quinn told SportsDay. “I had people chirping in my ear both ways, but I just kind of relied on my gut, and so far it’s been a great transition for me.”
“Specifically, I guess it was the way they allow the D-line to play, fly around, have fun,” Quinn said. “Then the linebackers and the secondary and what they have, you combine that with, not a freestyle D-line, but we get to attack and get in the backfield I think more than we can in other places.
“I think it was kind of one of those where I get to have fun, pin my ears back and just disrupt the backfield, which is what they want us to do.”
The move was savvy for Dallas in multiple ways. For one, they had to mitigate the risk of not having a suitable replacement for Randy Gregory, who was again suspended indefinitely by the league for violating the substance abuse policy. There is a lot of hope Gregory’s suspension will be lifted, maybe even in time for Week 1, but there are no guarantees. Now, Dallas has a top-half of the league edge guy regardless of how that situation plays out.
If Gregory does return, Dallas would then have one of the more formidable edge rusher rotations with those two opposite stud DE DeMarcus Lawrence.
Also, Dallas was able to rework the one year remaining on Quinn’s deal, knocking the number down to $8 million in salary for 2019.
Finally, the Cowboys only gave up a sixth rounder to acquire Quinn. If he and the club part ways after the season, Quinn will be part of the compensatory pick formula and Dallas has a chance for a net gain with a 2021 comp pick if they play their cards a certain way.
In the meantime, Quinn will focus on helping Dallas win on the field by not just being an edge rusher with 69 career sacks, but by also shutting down the run with skills that have impressed defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.
“I’ve just really been impressed with his work habits here,” Marinelli said of Quinn. “He’s a real pro. He comes to work every day. Effort. Details. He doesn’t say much. And I’m telling you, he’s really going to be a good run defender, just like D-Law.
“We’ve got racing lizards over there that can play the run.”
Quinn had a bit of a down year in the tackling department in Miami, missing a career-high 8 attempts. He did register 23 stops (keeping the offense from having a successful amount of yards) , but the Cowboys are certainly hope they get the player Quinn was with the Rams more than the one from Miami.
The tests will come in the regular season and hopefully in the playoffs, where both Quinn Dallas would love to exact a measure of revenge against those Rams which eliminated Dallas in the divisional round on their way to a Super Bowl appearance.
— COWBOYS WIRE
