'Black Cobra': Robert Quinn Trade Rumors - Should Dallas Target Former Cowboys DE?

"It's 'Black Cobra','' Quinn told me. "I take it with honor. .... I wear it with pride.''

FRISCO - In October of 2019, Robert Quinn gave me a few minutes to explain what his Dallas Cowboys teammates were saying about their new pass-rusher - and the nickname he'd been given.

"It's 'Black Cobra','' Quinn told me. "I take it with honor. .... I wear it with pride.''

Quinn, the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year, rejuvenated his career in Dallas that year, using it as a springboard to a monster APY deal in Chicago. But now, On Friday, word is the Bears are looking to trade Quinn.

Is there a match in Dallas?

It's an exciting idea - with two justifiable flaws.

One, while he remains highly productive - he had an astounding 18.5 sacks this past season, the Bears franchise-record - he's under contract for three more seasons with cap numbers of $17 mil, $18 mil and $17 mil.

One website in Chicago called that "team-friendly''; we're not sure which team they're talking about, but it's not the Cowboys. (And as the Chicago rebuild continues, it might not be the Bears, either.)

Two, Quinn is remarkably athletic. That "Black Cobra'' nickname was given to him by teammate Tyrone Crawford at training camp due to Quinn's unusual "bend'' -- his flexibility as a pass-rusher getting around the edge.

"They say I don't have any bones in my body, that I in a sense move like a snake,'' said Quinn then, aware that owner Jerry Jones had referred to him as "Gumby.'' "Yeah, I've heard that before. But ('Black Cobra'') is a little more fierce than 'Gumby.''

Indeed, Quinn and Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong ("best-kept secret'') and Dante Fowler and Sam Williams? "Fierce'' is right. But Quinn is 32; how "fierce'' and "bendy'' will he continue to be as he approaches his mid-30's?

Quinn came to Dallas with a contract of $8 million for one year. It was an arrangement that worked exactly as designed, for both parties. This situation ... isn't that situation. And while some will bash the Cowboys for their lack of deep interest, all things considered - including Quinn's "Black Cobra'' talent - Dallas' position is justifiable.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Cowboys? Subscribe to the Daily Cowboys SI Newsletter with Mike Fisher now!

Follow FishSports on Twitter

Follow Cowboys / Fish on Facebook

Subscribe to the Cowboys Fish Report on YouTube for constant daily Cowboys live-stream podcasts and reports!