The Indianapolis Colts were among the team in the sweepstakes for edge rusher Chandler Jones before the Las Vegas Raiders signed him to a three-year deal, per Josina Anderson of USA TODAY.
While the Colts missed out on signing Jones, it opened the door for them to acquire defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, who apparently became a casualty with Maxx Crosby entrenched on the other side of the Raiders defensive line.
The other teams reportedly included the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills.
I'm told Chandler Jones has agreed to a 3-year deal to join the #Raiders, per source.
My understanding is the other teams Jones was considering were the #Jets, #49ers, #Bills and #Colts.
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 16, 2022
The Colts now have a defensive line that includes Ngakoue (LEO), DeForest Buckner (3-Tech), Grover Stewart (1-Tech) and Kwity Paye (Big End). They also re-signed the versatile Tyquan Lewis while the highly-promising Dayo Odeyingbo can work his way into a sub-package role during his first full offseason.
Signing Ngakoue to an extension is likely to be on the docket as he’s a free agent in 2023. That deal isn’t imminent, according to Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star.
The Colts had to make a move like this. Whether it was being aggressive for a free-agent edge rusher or making a trade for a player like Ngakoue, they couldn’t simply stand pat while other teams got better.
This is a big splash move that should be met with praise given Ngakoue’s history of production.
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