The Raiders made one of the most shocking moves of free agency so far, bringing in EDGE rusher Chandler Jones. For a brief minute, the Raiders were expected to have the best pass-rush trio in the NFL with Jones, Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue.
However, that will not be the case as the Raiders have decided to move on from Ngakoue after just one year. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Raiders will send Ngakoue to the Indianapolis Colts for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin.
Sources: #Raiders pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue is expected to be traded to the #Colts in a deal that includes CB Rock Ya-Sin.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2022
Ngakoue will reunite with Gus Bradley, who is now the defensive coordinator in Indianapolis. This will be Ngakoue’s fifth team since the start of the 2020 season. In his only year with the Raiders, he started all 17 games and totaled 10 sacks for the Raiders.
Ngakoue is only 26 years old, but it’s clear that the Raiders thought Jones would be an upgrade. Ngakoue isn’t quite as good against the run and new general manager Dave Ziegler has ties to Jones from his days in New England.
Ya-Sin is a young cornerback who has appeared in 41 games over the last three seasons. He was originally a second-round pick by the Colts and has totaled 20 pass deflections during his career.
Ya-Sin figures to be one of the team’s outside cornerbacks this season, but that is still up in the air. He’ll likely compete with Trayvon Mullen and whatever veteran free agent the Raiders sign over the next few days.
