Cowboys Ex Robert Quinn Skips Bears Minicamp; Trade Plan?

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.

FRISCO - Robert Quinn, the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year who rejuvenated his career in Dallas in 2019, does not seem to want to leave his present team, the Chicago Bears.

"I (don't) expect to go anywhere, or want to go anywhere, but again, this is a crazy business," Quinn said recently.

But the rumors remain - and the speculation will especially grow as Quinn on Tuesday is reportedly staying away from Bears minicamp.. And so the guy once labeled by Cowboys teammates "The Black Cobra'' for his pass-rushing bendiness - "Quinn once told me. "I take it with honor. .... I wear it with pride'' - is naturally going to be linked, at least by hungry Cowboys fans, to Dallas once again.

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.

The Cowboys, even in the wake of Randy Gregory's bolting, have rebuild their defensive end depth ... and they've done it without multiple $18 million commitments. If the Bears decide to give up on Quinn (which might be the best explanation for his absence) , he'll give another team a major boost. But Dallas already thinks its boosted - affordably.

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