2022 NFL Trades: Philadelphia Eagles trade for former Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Robert Quinn

The NFC East has returned with a force this year what with the Philadelphia Eagles currently sitting undefeated, the New York Giants boasting a 6-1 record, and the Dallas Cowboys currently in third place with a very impressive 5-2 mark through seven games. It is so good I may just start calling it the NFC Beast (nobody has ever done this before).

Every week Brandon Gowton from Bleeding Green Nation and I get together to discuss the state of the group (the Washington Commanders are currently in last place at 3-4) and on this week’s episode we even had a trade to discuss as the Cowboys sent a 2023 6th round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins and a 2024 7th round pick.

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As of Wednesday afternoon (so we obviously didn’t discuss it on the episode) the Cowboys are no longer the only team in the division to execute a trade and not even the only one to execute a trade for a defensive lineman. Ever the active front office the Philadelphia Eagles made a move in the middle of the week and are seemingly not satisfied with their undefeated start to the season.

It is a familiar face for Cowboys fans that is now headed to the City of Brotherly Love.

The Philadelphia Eagles have traded for Robert Quinn, which also means that the Cowboys will not have to face him on Sunday afternoon

As fate would have it the Dallas Cowboys are technically beneficiaries (at least in an immediate sense) thanks to the trade that the Eagles just pulled off. Philadelphia reportedly sent a fourth-round pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for pass rusher Robert Quinn.

Cowboys fans will remember Quinn most notably for the 2019 season in which he had 11.5 sacks lining up for the good guys. Quinn was able to turn that into a massive deal from the Bears but they are not exactly at a competitive place right now and it seems like our old friend Matt Eberflus is officially embracing the rebuild.

Quinn hasn’t graded well so far this season but he is just a year removed from having 18.5 sacks for the Bears. Philly is hardly getting that player or someone in his prime considering Quinn is 32 years old, but there is no question that he can help a defense that is already very good (Philly ranks 4th in Defensive DVOA through Week 7). It is objectively a smart move at a very low cost.

Something worth thinking about if we are to allow ourselves now that we have gotten that out of the way... consider a hypothetical that would exist after the following sequence:

• Dallas goes on to beat Chicago this weekend
• They also beat the Eagles in the Christmas Eve rematch
• The NFC East ultimately comes down to a one-game margin with Dallas prevailing

The NFL trade deadline is not until next Tuesday, November 1st. What if the Eagles partly contributed (just having some fun here) to helping the Cowboys and therefore hurting themselves by taking away one of the better players on Chicago’s roster just four days before the Cowboys play them? Would it have been worth it to do it now and not wait until after Sunday’s game? Perhaps the Eagles sensed that there was another interested team and was comfortable making the move when they did, but it is fun to think about.