August 19, 2020
The Eagles' injury report hasn't been that bad, but there have been several key defensive linemen sitting out practices so far during this abridged training camp, and there's a good possibility Javon Hargrave — the team's highest profile free agent signing — could miss Week 1. Additionally, Derek Barnett is out and is listed as week-to-week.
Also, you know, you can never have enough depth on your front line.
Which is why the following tweet from former NFL GM and insider Michael Lombardo was particularly interesting to Eagles fans this afternoon:
According to NFL sources, Jacksonville is extremely close to trading Yannick Ngakoue today or tomorrow, have a firm offer in place--(hearing a two). looks like this holdout will be over soon and Jacksonville will get more picks for their tanking....
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) August 19, 2020
A second-round pick as compensation for the stud defensive end, who has tallied an impressive 37.5 sacks over four seasons in the NFL seems pretty palatable. At just 25, he is pretty unhappy with the franchise tag he's been slapped with — and less happy with the prospect of being tied to the lowly Jaguars, and has demanded a trade for months now.
He's also famously shown to be quite interested in the Eagles.
Here's one of a handful of examples:
I normally don’t react to social media posts by players but Yannick Ngakoue’s recent posts indicate something is going on with the #Eagles....
— Tyler Steege (@TSteegeNFL) March 19, 2020
Maaaannnnnnnnnn !!! pic.twitter.com/eORNl6TOVX
The team is likely to have some salary cap issues next season, so extending him beyond this year could be a difficult task for Howie Roseman and company. And that's if they are willing to part with a second-round pick (which does seem like a steal for an All-Pro pass rusher, but less so if it's only a one-year rental).
The move would instantly make the Eagles d-line among the best in the league and arguably better than the impressive stockpiles of sacking ability slated to line up in Washington and Dallas.
According to the report, a trade is imminent, so as soon as we hear something we'll let you know.
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