Here are my initial thoughts:
1. Great value for a contract year guy with elite pass rushing tools. It's a 2 year contract (through 2019) but we can get rid of him after 1, so he knows it's really a contract year.
2. Guys picked in the 4th round are a bit of a longshot. They tend to either be longshot boom or bust prospects, which we can classify Quinn as, or they tend to be journeymen types. Regardless, most don't have long careers or make major impacts on teams. In Quinn, we receive a guy with a greater chance than a typical 4th rounder of making a difference, and with far superior tools and track record. Upside is huge, and IMHO, worth taking a 10M flier on the guy.
3. He's more of a two-way player than Branch, Harris or Wake. We needed to improve vs. the run, and this is a step in the right direction. While Hayes is still the superior run-stuffer, Quinn is solid compared to the rest of our DE's against the run, and his upside is probably higher than all of them, including Wake.
4. Back injury ... is he the same player? Likely not, but if he is recovering, this should be his first completely healthy year. Great year to take a gamble on a guy.
5. William Hayes was a success addition, mixed reviews on Andre Branch, and definitely bad reviews on Mario Williams. All of these guys had some potential ... which type will Quinn be?
6. Salary cap is definitely getting crowded, someone's gotta go. Wake, Hayes, Branch ... one of those guys will be re-negotiated, traded or let go.
7. The Dolphins have had a long history of finding good DL, both drafting collegians and bringing in veterans. I think this may be the next good acquisition.
8. This really frees us up to take the Best Player Available (BPA) in the draft at 11. I had been targeting DE's, but now the field is wide open.
9. While Gase is an offensive guy, we definitely are prioritizing becoming a good defensive team. A huge amount of valuable draft resources, contract re-signings, trades, and Free Agent signings are going into this defense. It needs to be good, because the investment is very substantial.
10. One last question I have .... can he play guard? Because it's starting down the same path as last year ... ignoring our OL weaknesses. We better see some good OL players drafted.