Getty Robert Quinn on October 30, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Los Angeles Rams can use Sunday, February 12 in Glendale, Arizona for this reason outside of the Super Bowl: Figuring out who’s worthy of going after once free agency begins a month later.
While the Rams have plenty of areas to address ranging from figuring out a backup quarterback to finding offensive line help, they can also capitalize on what is anticipated to become a significant market for edge rushers. And that leads to the No. 1 name mentioned by Rams Wire’s Cameron DaSilva on Saturday, February 11 on his list of four Philadelphia Eagles free agents the Rams could consider: A former Ram in three-time Pro Bowler Robert Quinn.
While the Eagles have had an elite pass rush with a league-high 70 sacks during the season, the veteran Quinn has somehow become lost in the pass rushing shuffle for Philly — hence why he’s mentioned as a re-possibility for the Rams.
“Could the Rams consider a reunion with Quinn, whose role has been minimal with the Eagles? He’s had a quiet 2022 season, recording zero sacks with the Eagles and only one with the Bears, but he had 18.5 sacks in 2021, so the production was there not long ago,” DaSilva wrote.
Quinn Was Impactful & a Huge Help for Aaron Donald in Last Run With the Rams
Quinn is obviously getting older as he’ll be 33 once 2023 training camp starts. He’s also one of the older Eagle defenders on a defensive front seven that features fellow 30-somethings in Linval Joseph, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and former Rams defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
With his age and being in a situation where he comes off as someone nearing the end of the line, this can easily point to the Rams giving him a full circle moment if they do consider luring him in one month after the Super Bowl.
“He’d be a low-cost pass rusher for Los Angeles this offseason, assuming he wants to continue playing. Pairing him with Aaron Donald again would be fun and it could also spark a pass rush that needs help on the edge,” DaSilva writes.
And the last time Quinn and Donald were a pairing, both were damaging together.
Quinn established himself as a double-digit sack threat with 10.5 in 2012 and 19 the following season before the arrival of “A.D.” And when Donald first arrived to the Rams in 2014, Quinn still delivered 10.5 sacks. Injuries began to limit Quinn the next three seasons as Donald started to emerge, but Quinn managed to tally 17.5 sacks across that time frame — including 8.5 in his final season with the Rams in 2017.
Since his departure he’s only produced two more double-digit sack campaigns — 11.5 with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019 and 18.5 in 2021 with the Chicago Bears. Again, he didn’t produce a sack with the Eagles and has never produced more than two tackles since joining their loaded defensive line room.
One Other Defender Mentioned as Possibility for Rams
Quinn wasn’t the only defensive choosing for DaSilva. And along with edge rusher, the Rams have a safety room to address with Nick Scott and Taylor Rapp set to hit free agency.
That’s where Marcus Epps was written down as a possibility, with DaSilva writing:
“Epps would be a backup plan at safety if the Rams don’t re-sign Nick Scott or Taylor Rapp and they can’t find better options in free agency. He played every game this season and logged more than 1,100 snaps, but he struggled in coverage, earning a grade of 46.4 in that department, per PFF. He is an excellent run defender though (79.9 grade), which would help the Rams if they were to line him up in the slot or the box.”
Epps’ struggles in coverage is obviously concerning. But Rapp and Scott possibly leaving for a larger paycheck would give the Rams a huge void in finding someone who can step up and crash the line of scrimmage from his safety spot. Epps would be a valuable idea there if the Rams consider.