The Bills don’t have any glaring needs, but reading between the lines, a younger pass-rushing presence could be an attractive add for Buffalo.
Shooting for the moon, some observers of the club have pegged Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue a strong fit for the Bills. Despite that, via CBS Sports, ESPN’s Adam Schefter did not include the Bills in his list of potential suitors for Ngakoue:
Schefter, meanwhile, said Wednesday he wouldn’t classify the Eagles as the favorite among likely suitors — a contingent that he speculated would include the Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks.
When pegging a youthful option, the first notion is always looking toward the draft. However, Ngakoue certainly still falls into that category, and a bit of the “Stefon Diggs” zone as well. Ngakoue only just turned 25, and like Diggs, he’s not a roll of the dice. He’s an already proven product in the NFL. In each of his four NFL seasons, Ngakoue has at least eight sacks.
But with the notion of acquiring Ngakoue in mind, Buffalo would have to trade for him. Currently they do not have a first-round pick. In a similar situation where pass rusher Frank Clark couldn’t come to terms with the Seahawks last offseason, he was traded to the Chiefs for a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, a 2020 second-round pick and a swap of third-round picks in 2019.
What will Ngakoue cost? That’s the big question. What’s notable on Ngakoue, he’s been very, very vocal about wanting to leave the Jaguars, which could cut down his cost. But there’s still a massive contract to consider. The Bills have approximately $20 million in cap space left, so they could afford a big contract, but then could be tight against the spending limit after that.
The Bills already added veteran Mario Addison to a group which is highlighted by Jerry Hughes and Trent Murphy.
[lawrence-related id=58696,58503,58674,58659]