The Dallas Cowboys' defense should be one of the best in the NFL once again in 2022, thanks to the return of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and the high level of play the team is getting from players like linebacker Micah Parsons.

Dallas could take things up a notch next season, though, by bringing back a former Cowboy that's coming off one of the best seasons of his career.

Chicago Bears defensive end Robert Quinn, a three-time Pro-Bowler who played for Dallas in 2019, isn't reporting to mandatory minicamps this week. Quinn has previously said he'd like to stay in Chicago, but his actions seem to suggest otherwise.

On Tuesday, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was asked about Quinn's absence. His answer indicated that he wasn't thrilled that Quinn's skipping mandatory minicamps. And Eberflus even alluded to Chicago general manager Ryan Poles working through whatever is going on with Quinn.

Could "working through" something mean that a trade is on the way?

It certainly seems that way.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus on Robert Quinn: “Obviously we hoped he would be here. He’s not. Ryan (Poles) and his staff are going to work through that."

— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) June 14, 2022

Eberflus is working hard to rebuild the culture in Chicago. And not having the team's best defensive player present for mandatory minicamps is probably irking the first-year head coach. That's part of the reason why it wouldn't be a surprise to see Quinn traded this summer. There was also a report from CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora in May that suggests Quinn wants a change of scenery.

Quinn, who just turned 32, probably isn't thrilled about going through a rebuild with the Bears at this point in his career. I imagine the former North Carolina Tar Heel wants a shot at winning a Super Bowl. And his best chance at that could be with the Cowboys.

If Dallas makes a deal to bring Quinn back to the franchise where he had 11.5 sacks in 2019, they'd instantly give their pass rush a boost. The Cowboys are already going to make Sunday afternoons a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks, thanks to Parsons, but the addition of Quinn, who had 18.5 sacks last season in Chicago, could make the Dallas pass rush unstoppable.

The only downside to trading for Quinn is that he has three years remaining on his contract with an average salary cap hit of $17.5 million per year.

Dallas, however, could trade for Quinn and they'd have an out after the 2022 season. The Cowboys could release Quinn and designate him as a post-6/1 release next summer. That move would save Dallas $14 million in cap space in 2023 (with a dead cap hit of around $4 million in 2023 and 2024).

In other words, this is a move that Dallas could make to bolster their defense in 2022 without hurting the salary cap situation too much.

This is a move that could truly take the Cowboys' defense to another level. And considering the situation in Chicago, they could probably get Quinn at a fairly low price.

Featured image via Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports