Getty Myles Garrett #95 of the Cleveland Browns reacts after sacking Baker Mayfield #6 of the Carolina Panthers during the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium on September 11, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Browns face major questions on the edge of their defense as the schedule is on the verge of becoming exponentially more difficult over several consecutive weeks.
Robert Quinn has played a significant amount of outside linebacker during his two-plus seasons with the Chicago Bears, but as a pass rusher before anything else, the role is essentially the same as it would be playing defensive end in Cleveland.
Both Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney were absent from Browns’ practice on Wednesday. Garrett’s absence was due to his involvement in a single-vehicle crash on Tuesday that saw the All-Pro hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. Clowney continues to recover from an ankle injury he sustained during the team’s Week 2 matchup with the New York Jets.
The status of both players for Sunday’s road contest against the Atlanta Falcons remains up in the air, with both listed as questionable as of Wednesday. The Browns, meanwhile, are looking as thin as ever on the edge of the defensive line.
Quinn is Logical Pickup For Browns, as Depth at DE Depleted by Injury
GettyDE Myles Garrett (left) of the Cleveland Browns high-fives teammate Jadeveon Clowney (right) during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on January 3, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Both Stephen Weatherly and Chase Winovich have been relegated the injured reserve (IR) list, the former out for the season with a knee injury suffered during training camp. Should both Garrett and Clowney sit out Sunday, Cleveland will be forced to start two rookies at defensive end in Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report on Wednesday argued for the Browns doing a deal to secure Quinn, a position that gets stronger with each passing day of uncertainty on the defensive line.
Quinn’s $12.8 million base salary this season is reasonable and not something Chicago has to dump. However, the Bears showed that they’re willing to cash in players for draft assets when they traded Khalil Mack in the offseason.
Cleveland would be smart to make a play for Quinn given its aforementioned injury concerns. … Cleveland leads the league with $36.2 million in cap space, while the [Las Vegas] Raiders rank second with $14.1 million available. Financially, these are the two most realistic suitors for Quinn’s services.
Robert Quinn Tallied More Sacks Than Even Myles Garrett in 2021
GettyPass rusher Robert Quinn of the Chicago Bears on the sidelines during a game against the New York Giants at Soldier Field on September 20, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Quinn has gotten off to a relatively slow start this season, though he has still logged a sack and two quarterback pressures through the Bears’ first three games.
Last year, however, Quinn was selected to the Pro Bowl and named a second-team All Pro after tallying 18.5 sacks and 22 quarterback hits, per Pro Football Reference. That sack total was good enough for second in the entire NFL, and slotted Quinn ahead of Garrett by 2.5 sacks on the season.
Garrett is off to a better start than Quinn this year, with three sacks and five quarterback hits through three games. Clowney has tallied 1.5 sacks through two game appearances thus far in 2022.