Cowboys news: Robert Quinn acquired by Dallas in trade with Dolphins

Cowboys, Dolphins Agree On Deal For Quinn-David Helman-Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys finally hammered out a deal to bring in two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Robert Quinn.

The club brought an end to weeks’ worth of speculation on Thursday, as it agreed to a trade with the Miami Dolphins for defensive end Robert Quinn.

The Cowboys are shipping a 2020 sixth-round pick to Miami in exchange for the veteran pass rusher, who should bolster a pass rush that has been depleted by the suspension of Randy Gregory and the ongoing contract negotiation with DeMarcus Lawrence.

Dallas Cowboys trade for Dolphins DE Robert Quinn - Herbie Teope- NFL.com
The Cowboys have acquired Robert Quinn from the Dolphins and plan to pair him with DeMarcus Lawrence to create an elite pass rush duo.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Thursday that Quinn’s acquisition won’t affect their pursuit of extending Lawrence.

”No, we’re motivated to get this deal done with DeMarcus Lawrence,” Jones told the team’s website. “He’s obviously a guy who’s been here, home-grown, who plays the game the way we like to see the game played. Obviously, he’s learned under (defensive coordinator) Rod (Marinelli) and he plays the way Rod would like to see a defensive lineman play. He’ll come off that left side, and Robert Quinn coming off the right with Randy (Gregory) and mixing a few of them down inside is nothing but a positive for us.”

The Cowboys are also dealing with defensive end Gregory’s indefinite suspension.

Cowboys acquire DE Quinn from Fins for a late pick- Todd Archer- ESPN
The Cowboys re-worked Quinn’s contract to make it happen.

Quinn, who visited The Star last week and also met with the New Orleans Saints, is getting a new one-year deal worth $8 million from the Cowboys and he can earn $1 million more in incentives, according to sources.

Quinn was set to make $11.8 million in the last year of his contract. Earlier in the month, the Dolphins paid Quinn a $1.12 million roster bonus and reportedly were willing to pay some of Quinn’s base salary to facilitate a trade. The Dolphins recently paid $5 million of the $7 million guaranteed to quarterback Ryan Tannehill as part of a trade to the Tennessee Titans.

The Dolphins, however, are not paying any of the money in Quinn’s new deal with the Cowboys, the sources said.

How the addition of Robert Quinn immediately impacts the Cowboys' defense -Jon Machota- SportsDay
The newly-acquired Robert Quinn is just part of the plan to rejuvenate the Cowboys pass rush.

Both players became available because former Patriots defensive coordinators changed systems in their new jobs as head coaches. Hyder, who had an eight-sack season for the Lions in 2016, was no longer a fit for Matt Patricia’s 3-4 scheme. Quinn, who had 8.5 sacks for the Rams two years ago and 6.5 last season for the Dolphins, wasn’t an ideal fit for what Brian Flores is trying to implement in his first year as Dolphins head coach.

The Cowboys now have a pair of experienced 4-3 ends who can contribute immediately. Quinn, 28, is especially important because he brings speed to the right end position, a must with the uncertainty surrounding suspended right end Randy Gregory. Tyrone Crawford has also played that position, but he doesn’t bring the same type of speed and athleticism as Quinn.

What Does Adding Robert Quinn Mean For This Defense?- David Helman- Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys upgraded at a very important position, what does Robert Quinn do for this defense?

The Cowboys dealt for Quinn because defensive end is a glaring problem, and they didn’t like their odds of fixing it without a first-round draft pick. Difference-making pass rushers go off the board in the first 20 picks, and the Cowboys aren’t on the clock until pick No. 58.

By trading for him, they’re adding a proven starter who is capable of delivering pressure. Quinn is currently sitting on 69 career sacks, highlighted by a 19-sack effort in 2013. He’s managed 15 in his last two seasons. He can play on the all-important ride side, which Rod Marinelli will happily tell you is one of the most crucial positions in his defense.

As it stands right now, the Cowboys’ best two pass rushers have ambiguous futures. Gregory is suspended indefinitely. And however optimistic the front office might be that he can work toward reinstatement, it’d be unwise to count on it.

Cowboys trade for Quinn is to replace Randy Gregory not insurance for Lawrence -Clarence Hill- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The addition of Robert Quinn provides a replacement for Randy Gregory.

Per a source, Quinn is looking forward to having fun in Dallas where he will play exclusively right end. Quinn would be the answer to the indefinite suspension of Randy Gregory, giving the Cowboys a proven pass rusher opposite DeMarcus Lawrence.

He started all 16 games a season ago with the Dolphins after coming in a trade with the Rams for a fourth-round pick, racking up 6.5 sacks, 38 total tackles, 15 QB hits, and two forced fumbles. A coaching change made him a bad fit for the scheme run by new coach Brian Flores. But he is a perfect fit for the 4-3 scheme employed by the Cowboys.

Quinn has 69 sacks in eight seasons between the Rams and Dolphins.

Again, Quinn is a replacement for the suspended Gregory. He is not insurance for Lawrence, who is an unrestricted free agent and currently in a contract impasse with the Cowboys.

The Cowboys wants to get DeMarcus Lawrence for a good price, and there’s nothing wrong with that -DannyPhantom- Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys would like to get DeMarcus Lawrence signed to a long-term deal, but both sides are still far apart. While a deal should eventually get done, the front office is smart to hold out for the best deal possible.

Is it greedy for Lawrence to try to get as much as he can? Absolutely not. He’s earned it. And if that puts the Cowboys in a bind where they have to challenge themselves on how much they’d be willing to invest towards him, so be it. That’s the whole purpose of the cap - to force teams to make those tough decisions where sometimes they have to part ways with some of their talent. But at the same time, it’s not disrespectful for the Cowboys to try to work the best deal. They owe it to the team. A misstep here or there and the team suffers.

How shoulder surgery affects Cowboys' contract talks with DeMarcus Lawrence - Todd Archer- Dallas Cowboys Blog- ESPN
The Cowboys and DeMarcus Lawrence negotiation has many moving parts, including the club wanting him to get his shoulder repaired.

The negotiation dance between the Dallas Cowboys and DeMarcus Lawrence is at an “impasse,” according to executive vice president Stephen Jones. And the longer the one-two-three goes, the longer the prospect grows of shoulder surgery that awaits the two-time Pro Bowl defensive end.

Unless Lawrence goes full-on Le’Veon Bell and opts to sit out the season, he will play football for some team in 2019 and will need to repair his shoulder if he wants to play at an elite level.

The issue has lingered for the past two seasons, and he wore a harness that limited some range of motion but still allowed him to play in 2018. Theoretically, Lawrence could do that again in 2019 and hope the harness helps keep the joint intact and allows him to play 16 regular-season games.

How trade for Robert Quinn impacts Cowboys depth chart- Patrik Walker- 247Sports
What does the trade for Robert Quinn mean for the Cowboys rotation at defensive end, more specifically, Taco Charlton?

It’s now or never for Charlton.

The former first-round pick was locked in heading into Cowboys’ training camp in 2018, shadowing Lawrence at every conditioning turn with the goal of making huge strides in his second year as an NFL pass rusher. The club loved what they saw, and rewarded him with 106 defensive snaps in the first two games -- wherein he delivered six combined tackles (two for a loss), a pass break up and a sack on quarterback Eli Manning in Week 2. In that same contest, he’d recover a fumble in the third quarter that the Cowboys used to make it a two-touchdown deficit, going on to win and balance themselves at 1-1 on the young season.

His stock jumped head first off of a cliff not long after.

Tweet of the Day

Not exactly a tweet, rather an Instagram post. Sean Lee has joined social media and is officially on the gram.