After dropping hints about his interest in the Eagles for the last several weeks on social media, Yannick Ngakoue was on ESPN’s NFL Live on Tuesday and described the type of team he wants to be traded to.
Ngakoue didn’t mention the Eagles by name, but it sure seemed like he was describing them.
But are the Eagles really going to trade for the Jaguars’ 25-year-old defensive end?
ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter was on 97.5 The Fanatic on Wednesday morning and threw some cold water on that idea.
I view the Eagles on the outside looking in on Yannick Ngakoue,” Schefter said. “That’s not to say that they couldn’t get something done because anything is always possible with them. But I don’t view them as a likely destination for Yannick Ngakoue going into the draft.
Schefter does think the Jaguars will end up trading Ngakoue but he’s not sure to whom and he’s not sure about how much the Jaguars will end up getting back for the franchise-tagged player.
But Schefter did list the Eagles among five teams in the market for pass rushers and with some means to possibly pull off a trade for Ngakoue: Giants, Browns, Raiders, Eagles, Seahawks.
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“Of those teams, I don’t believe the Eagles are the favorite in that group at all,” he said. “I think that, more likely than not, those other teams for various reasons — picks, compensation, money, draft position — stand a better chance of landing Yannick Ngakoue than the Eagles.”
Ngakoue wouldn’t be cheap for the Eagles in terms of trade compensation or his next contract. I took a closer look at the possibility and the cost a little over a week ago.
The simple reason why the Eagles should be interested in Ngakoue is because he’s good and young. In his first four NFL seasons, all before he turned 25 last month, Ngakoue piled up 37 1/2 sacks and got constant pressure on QBs. And because he’s so young, there’s a chance he’s still getting better.
If the Eagles don’t trade for a defensive end or if they don’t sign another one, they’ll be left with Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat and others. There’s a good chance they’ll use a relatively high draft pick on a pass rusher later this month.
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