With the Chicago Bears sitting at 2-4 and losing three straight games there is plenty of discussion surrounding whether the team should be sellers at the trade deadline. While the deadline is roughly two weeks away, the talk got fired up when a report came that Robert Quinn could be moved at the trade deadline.
While these same rumors popped up this summer and nothing came of it, it is at least worth wondering which teams would be interested in adding a pass rusher at this point.
5. Should Tennessee Titans call the Chicago Bears?
The Tennessee Titans are sitting at 3-2, and they are in one of the easier divisions that is wide open for the taking right now. They are coming off of their bye week, and this could be a chance for them to add a spark to the roster for the home stretch.
The Titans’ defensive line was immediately hit when they lost Harold Landry for the season during the preseason. The team has Bud Dupree across from him, but Dupree is coming off an ACL injury a few years ago, and since he signed a big deal he has been on and off with injuries.
It has had the team relying on Rashad Weaver, a young and unproven player, and Denico Autry, a versatile lineman. Still, the lack of depth is making Autry less versatile and taking away from what he does best. Weaver is playing well, but he still has long-term questions, and beyond that, the depth would be helpful.
Quinn, Dupree, and Weaver would be a nice group on paper and would give Autry the ability to move wherever they need him, and highlight what he can do best. They have a need, the injury bug has already hit their depth, and they are in a division that they can win now. The Titans could be a team that is calling the Chicago Bears for Robert Quinn.
4. San Francisco 49ers could trade the Chicago Bears
The 49ers already saw Robert Quinn when they played the Chicago Bears this season, now they could add him to their defensive line. You saw against the Atlanta Falcons that the team was lacking depth on their defensive line.
They lost Nick Bosa, and while he will be coming back soon, the addition of Robert Quinn can allow the 49ers to ease him in. They can also move Bosa around because they are also thin on the interior.
Still, in most cases, Bosa lines up against the right tackle, which means that putting Quinn against the left tackle would create a dynamic pairing. To be fair, the 49ers have Samson Ebukam, who is having a great season, and they just drafted Drake Jackson who is getting work as well.
However, while those names are nice, they are even stronger as depth with Robert Quinn in the mix. The 49ers are another team that has to see this season as a time to strike. Who knows what happens with Jimmy Garopolo next year, and the Rams are clearly having a down year.
The team cannot have games like last week at Atlanta when their defensive line was depleted. They could look at that game as a big reason to make a trade with the Chicago Bears for Robert Quinn.
3. Philadelphia Eagles could call the Chicago Bears
I do not need to tell you about how the Eagles are a team in the mix. Still, while they continue to run through their season, they also have the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys right behind them, and they have three games against these teams. They cannot stop pushing forward now, and can barely afford a loss.
Before the season the Eagles had plans to run Derek Barnett in a four-man rush with Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, and Brandon Graham. The other three have been there, but they lost Barnett in the first week of the season and will not be getting him back.
What better way to replace Barnett than to trade with the Chicago Bears for Robert Quinn? The role is perfect for Quinn too, because they would be asking to rush the pass-on situation plays, and not asking him to defend the run.
The Eagles have been known to be aggressive, but we also know that Quinn will not go for as much as fans wanted back in the summer. Still, the Eagles can meet the demand, they have the need, and the division is still up for grabs. The Chicago Bears should expect to hear from the Eagles in the coming weeks.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs went all-in on Frank Clark, and it has not worked out the way that they wanted. This has led the team to sign Carlos Dunlap this offseason and draft George Karlaftis in the first round.
Still, while a lot of it can do with shuffling at cornerback, the Chiefs’ defense has not lived up to expectations. The Chiefs have always been a team to rotate four defensive linemen with Steve Spagnuolo as their defensive coordinator.
Considering Dunlap is getting older, Karlaftis may hit a rookie wall, and Clark should be losing playing time, they could be a perfect spot for Robert Quinn to come and get serious work. The Chiefs are obviously in a spot where they are in win-now mode, and while the Broncos and Raiders have not done their job, the Chargers are still tied with them.
They also should be familiar with the Chicago Bears front office considering Ryan Poles came from the Chiefs just last season. At the least, Poles should know how warm the team is on him.
1. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens already have Jason Pierre-Paul, and Justin Houston, why not add one more big-name rusher from a few years back into the mix? Robert Quinn is very similar to both, and also a reason why they may want Quinn in the mix.
The Ravens are looking for depth in a big way across from the young and ascending Odafe Oweh. They lost Houston and Tyus Bowser to injury early in the season, and while both may be coming back, the Ravens are seeing the downside of not having enough pass-rushing depth.
Beyond that, Bowser plays a versatile role off of the ball. Houston, JPP, and Quinn may not be as effective when they are getting a full workload, but they could be a lot better when they are all rotating with each other, or in a mix with Oweh as well. Again, the Ravens are a team that has to strike now before they have to decide on a Lamar Jackson contract. They are in first in the AFC North, but the Bengals are coming.
The Chicago Bears should definitely try to pawn off their older pass rusher on a team that has the propensity to collect them.