Getty Robert Quinn of the Chicago Bears
The signing of Robert Quinn is looking worse every day for the Chicago Bears. The Bears signed the former Dallas Cowboys pass rusher to a five-year, $70 million deal this offseason, with $30 million guaranteed, and it’s shaping up to be one of the worst free agent signings in team history — at least through the first 13 games of the 2020 season.
After leading the Cowboys in sacks with 11.5 in 14 games last year, Quinn has just one sack with the Bears through 12 games. The decline in his play in just one season has been staggering. Quinn had 22 quarterbacks and 13 tackles for loss in 2019 with Dallas, and he has just three quarterback hits and no tackles for loss in 2020. Quinn’s lone sack this season came way back in Week 2, and his play over the last few weeks has been brutal — so brutal, in fact, that clips of specific plays showing him get absolutely owned have gone viral on Twitter for two weeks straight.
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Robert Quinn Gets Owned By Texans Tight End, Goes Viral
A video courtesy of Twitter user JJ LaPlante began making the rounds during the Bears’ dominating 36-7 win over the Houston Texans Sunday. In the video, Texans tight end Darren Fells absolutely levels Quinn with a single block, knocking him down and effectively removing him from the play. It’s a beyond damning look for the Bears’ top free agent acquisition, and it’s one that doesn’t look good for a defense labeled the Monsters of the Midway.
You can watch Quinn get taken out by Fells in the video below:
Watch Robert Quinn… #DaBears
The Bears defense recorded seven sacks in the win, with Mario Edwards Jr. — who is making less than $1 million this season — getting two of them. Quinn, for the second game this season, didn’t record a single statistic, not even a tackle.
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Robert Quinn Gets Owned on the Line, Part 2…
This was the second week in a row Quinn’s questionable effort was captured in a viral Twitter video. After Chicago’s Week 13 loss to the Detroit Lions, The Chicago Audible’s Nicholas Moreano shared a clip of the Bears’ linebacker in which Quinn had an opportunity to stop Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford short of a key first down, but fell down instead:
I had to show the effort from Robert Quinn on this 4th-and-inches play on the Lions’ 2nd drive of the 3rd quarter. Quinn is unblocked and has an opportunity to stop Matthew Stafford short of the first, but he stands up and goes backwards. The Lions scored a TD three plays later.
When asked a few weeks back if he could pinpoint the reasons for his struggles this season, Quinn couldn’t quite articulate them. “If I knew, I’m sure they probably wouldn’t be there,” Quinn said about his lack of production. “I don’t know. It’s just been one of those years, just hasn’t been one of my best years but we still got a chance … We’re still holding together as a great defense. It’s not all just about me.”
Quinn did admit he is more critical of his own play than most others are, however, and he acknowledged his performance this season has been “very average.”
“I always say I’m more critical of myself than anyone else. Someone may give me praise but I’m looking at what I did wrong,” Quinn said. Based on the effort shown in the videos of his play circulating on Twitter, there is plenty for him to critique and improve upon.
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