Dallas Cowboys signing Everson Griffen superior to Robert Quinn move in 2019
By Randy Gurzi
Signing Everson Griffen was a boss move by Dallas Cowboys.
When the Dallas Cowboys lost Robert Quinn in free agency, it seemed as though they would be hurting at right defensive end. That’s no longer the prevailing feeling since they landed a pro bowler on Wednesday night when they signed Everson Griffen from the Minnesota Vikings.
Signed to just a one-year deal worth up to $6 million, Griffen is clearly the better bargain as Quinn landed a five-year deal worth $70 million. On top of that, he was a better player than Quinn last season.
That’s not a solo feeling either as some who cover the team agree, including Jeff Cavanaugh of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, one of the many members of the team’s local media praising the recent move. Not only does Cavanaugh approve of the signing, he’s gone on record saying he believes Griffen is a better player at this point than Quinn.
Been watching some Everson Griffen.
— Jeff Cavanaugh (@timeforjeffrey) August 13, 2020
He's a better player than Robert Quinn at this point in their careers.
Assuming he fits in and everybody's happy the Cowboys DL is significantly better than last year.
A later tweet from Cavanaugh clarified that he meant no disrespect to Quinn, who was a great player for Dallas in 2019. After coming over in a trade from the Miami Dolphins, Quinn led the team in sacks with 11.5 which led to his monster contract.
As for Griffen, he had more tackles (41) than Quinn (34) in one more game played but finished with eight sacks to Quinn’s 11.5. However, we often make the mistake of looking at the sacks and using that as the only barometer. In this case, when we look at everything that goes into the job we can see Griffen was the better player in 2019 even though he wasn’t as solid when it came to rushing the passer.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Quinn was the 46th highest rated defensive end out of 103 players graded. As for Griffen, he came in at 25th overall. When you break it down further, the analytical site was much higher on Griffen’s run defense giving him a 63.3 in that department compared to the 53.4 Quinn had.
As for the pass-rushing, which is what helps ends get paid, Griffen was behind Quinn but not by much as he scored a 76.6 and Quinn came in with a 78.3.
dark. Next. Griffen makes the Cowboys an undeniable Super Bowl threat
Again, this isn’t meant to know Quinn or the move Dallas made to land him in 2019. But it’s hard to look at the two players and not be impressed that Dallas landed Griffen for such a low contract. In the end, this looks to be an even better move than what they made in 2019, which says a lot.