The Philadelphia Eagles have had a very strong offseason. Despite all of the defections that occurred from the coaching staff and roster, this is a team in a position to once again challenge for the Lombardi Trophy during the 2023 season.
Philadelphia is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, as they look to be in a different class, along with the San Francisco 49ers, from everyone else in the NFC. General manager Howie Roseman has done an excellent job adding talented depth to the roster in recent years to overcome these departures, as those players are ready to step into bigger roles.
The draft has been a place the Eagles have really shined, filling holes with selections and trades for established veterans. Last year it was A.J. Brown, this year it was D’Andre Swift. But, even the best rosters could always use a little more tweaking.
The Eagles look set, but ESPN NFL insider Field Yates believes there is still one more move that the team could make. Looking to put the finishing touches on their defense, Yates believes Yannick Ngakoue is one signing the team should make before training camp.
“I know the Eagles have a premiere pass rush and used their second first-round pick on Nolan Smith to further that, but let’s get greedy as it pertains to a top Super Bowl contender. Waves of depth are essential for a pass rush in the NFL, and Ngakoue is a sack specialist who can provide Philly what it felt Robert Quinn would bring when it acquired him last offseason. Ngakoue won’t exactly come cheap, but do you think I’m worried about the Eagles finding a way to make a move work under the salary cap? He had 9.5 sacks and 29 pressures last season with the Colts.”
Philadelphia is coming off of a record-setting season as four different players recorded double-digit sacks. They fell just short of the all-time record set by the 1984 Chicago Bears, who had 72 sacks; the Eagles finished with 70.
Ngakoue has registered at least 8.0 sacks in every season of his career as he knows how to get after the quarterback. He doesn’t offer much as an edge setter in the run game, but when you can rush the passer as he does, it almost doesn’t matter.
It is a bit surprising that Ngakoue hasn’t been signed yet as teams can never have too many pass rushers. The Eagles should be motivated to get a deal done with him not only because he is productive, but because it means another contender won’t sign him.
It is a similar rationale that was used when they traded for Robert Quinn last year. It is beneficial to have the veteran on your roster instead of having to figure out a plan of how to stop him while playing for someone else.
