The Chicago Bears made one of the biggest splashes in free agency a couple of weeks ago when they agreed to a deal with veteran edge rusher Robert Quinn. The former Dallas Cowboy signed a five-year, $70 million contract with $30 million fully guaranteed.
The acquisition also saw the release of outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who was drafted with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Most fans were happy with the move, as Quinn will start opposite outside linebacker Khalil Mack to give the Bears a boost when it comes to pressuring the quarterback. But one Bears Hall of Famer was not among them.
Former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was a guest on ESPN 1000’s Waddle and Silvy show on Tuesday afternoon and revealed he didn’t think the team should have signed the former All-Pro.
“This isn’t a knock on the player, [but] I didn’t love the signing of Robert Quinn,” Urlacher said. “I liked him, he had a great season last year, really good football player. I just – you paid Khalil [Mack] all this money, he gets all this money. Akiem Hicks is a badass in the middle, making all this money. I understand you get rid of Floyd. But do you need to spend that much money on another guy up front?”
Urlacher went on to say he believes a healthy Hicks will greatly improve the defense and the front-seven would be fine without Quinn.
“I would think you could find someone to put pressure from that side,” Urlacher said. “Khalil is getting two guys no matter who is over there anyway, and with Akiem back, it’s going to be different. Once he’s healthy, we all saw how much he meant to their defense when he wasn’t in there.”
The former Bears’ great reiterated he thinks highly of Quinn, who had 11.5 sacks last year as a member of the Cowboys, but believes putting that much money into one part of the defense isn’t necessary.
Are you content with the amount of money the Bears reportedly gave Quinn? Or should they have spent that money on bolstering other positions such as the offensive line or wide receiver?
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