Broncos Player Profile: Trey Quinn #84 | Wide Receiver
The Denver Broncos want to improve their return ability on special teams, which led to the signing of Trey Quinn just before the NFL draft. He joins a deep wide receiver room, but his way to the roster would be through special teams.
If we dig into Quinn's college and NFL career, we might be able to glean what 2022 has in store for him.
Biography
Quinn will turn 27 in December. He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and went to Barbe High School. Not only did he play football, but he ran track as well.
As a receiver, Quinn finished his high school career with 70 touchdowns and over 6,500 yards and was the National All-Time Career Leader in receiving yards.
He initially committed to LSU as a four-star recruit.
College Career
The first two years of his college career came at LSU, where Quinn saw time playing as a true freshman and sophomore. However, he was targeted 44 times, catching 22 passes for 276 yards and dropping four passes. While he played in 25 games over the two years, he wanted more and decided to transfer to Southern Methodist University.
After sitting out in 2016, using his redshirt year, Quinn hit the ground running as a redshirt junior in 2017. He caught 114 of the 154 targets for 1,236 yards and 13 touchdowns. He dropped two passes that season but showed how he could be a playmaker at the collegiate level.
During the 2017 season, Quinn was used as a returner 10 times, five each as a kick and punt returner. He did well there, but SMU wanted him as the offensive weapon. So after the season, he moved on to the NFL.
Draft
There wasn't an invite to any of the pre-draft bowl games, but Quinn did get an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine. While it wasn't the best showing, he did show some decent quickness and agility in the 3-cone and shuttles. It was enough to end up with a solid 7.26 relative athletic score.
With one year of great production, there was plenty of worry about the one-year wonder factor. Unfortunately, Quinn's testing didn't do enough to push back against those misgivings, and the now Washington Commanders made him the Mr. Irrelevant, the final pick of the 2018 draft.
Professional Career
While this is the fifth year of his career, Quinn has only played in three seasons. Quinn had a chance with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 but got hurt, placed on injured reserve, and then released. He sat out the rest of the season until the Broncos signed him in April.
But Quinn's career started in Washington where he spent the first two years of his career. He didn't see the field much as a rookie but did see 315 total snaps on offense his second year. After two years and 391 snaps on offense, he had 35 catches on 54 targets for 270 yards and two touchdowns.
Quinn also took the field as a punt returner 20 times for Washington over his two years. He managed 129 yards as a punt returner. But unfortunately, it wasn't enough to get that third year in Washington.
Quinn was then scooped up by the Jacksonville Jaguars where he got a minimal opportunity. Unfortunately, the 2020 season was rough due to the pandemic and Quinn landed on the Covid/Reserve list. In the end, he saw action in one game for the Jaguars, where he returned one punt and played two snaps on offense.
2022 Outlook
It's safe to say that this is Quinn's final chance in the NFL. After the last two years, he'd be unlikely to get another shot if he doesn't catch on with the Broncos. His chances of catching on with the Broncos, though, are slim.
Quinn's best bet would be to show up as a returner, but with 21 total punt returns in the NFL, it seems unlikely. There isn't experience as a kick returner, and he only averaged 6.8 yards per punt return. So while he could be the safe option, it seems Denver wants a little more explosiveness from the position while being reliable as well.
With how deep Denver is at receiver, it's unlikely Quinn cracks the roster via that route. He's near the bottom of the depth chart at the position.
There just hasn't been enough shown from Quinn to warrant anything higher. So, with how deep Denver is at receiver and what the player has shown as a receiver and returner, it's unlikely he makes the roster or practice squad unless he takes a quantum leap forward in his development this summer.
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