Pro Football Focus tabbed their top free agents a few weeks back. None of the Bills’ pending free agents appeared. When predicting where their top-50 free agents will end up signing, the Bills do appear once there.
According to PFF. Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue is coming to western New York:
Considering the Jaguars are currently over the cap, seeing Yannick Ngakoue on another squad in 2020 seems likely. Things could change with cuts, but for now, Buffalo, which owns the third-most cap space, would be the likeliest landing spot for Ngakoue. With Shaq Lawson set to hit free agency and Lorenzo Alexander retiring, Buffalo has nearly half of its total edge pressures to replace this offseason. Ngakoue has produced top-20 pass-rush grades in each of the past three seasons and could play the 6/7-tech role Lawson played.
PFF projects a four-year, $19.5 million per year contract for Ngakoue with Buffalo. $57 million of that is guaranteed. That’s a hefty sum.
There is one overlying con to this deal, the rotation the Bills play on the defensive line. Do the Bills want to put big dollar in a player that won’t play every snap? Well, yes, the Bills have already done that Star Lotulelei in the past. Plus, if the Bills get production, the number of snaps won’t matter, truthfully.
And the cons pretty much stop there. Overall, Ngakoue would be a massive upgrade for the Bills. At the defensive end spot, Shaq Lawson, a pending free agent, led the positional grouping with 6.5 sacks last season. Not only does Ngakoue have a 12.5-sack season, his career-low in a single season is eight sacks. He’s hit that twice. That’s much more of an upgrade as a pass rusher and could solidify the Bills’ standing as one of the best defensive units in the league moving forward.
[lawrence-related id=55699,55603,55692,55671]