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The Indianapolis Colts fell 19-10 to the Tennessee Titans in Week 3 to fall to 3-3-1. There are still 10 games remaining, but with the loss, the Colts moved to one game back in the loss column of the Titans in the AFC South, and Tennessee already swept the season series.
Going into Monday Night Football to close out Week 7, there are eight teams above .500 in the AFC. The Colts are one of two teams with three wins in the conference through seven weeks.
That makes Indianapolis not in a playoff spot at the moment, but the Colts are right in the middle of the race as the NFL schedule approaches its midway point.
Still, Sports Illustrated’s Zach Hicks proposed that the Colts should shop one of their top offseason acquisitions — defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.
Ngakoue Struggling to Produce in Indianapolis
The Colts acquired Ngakoue from the Las Vegas Raiders to add a top pass rushing threat this past offseason. He came into the 2022 season with at least 8.0 sacks in each of his six NFL seasons.
After seven games this year, he leads the Colts with 3.5 sacks, putting him on pace for more than 8.0 in 2022. But Ngakoue hasn’t impacted opposing passers often enough and has grown into a liability in run defense.
Pro Football Focus player grades reflect this. PFF has Ngakoue rated an average pass rusher this season. He’s also been average in pass coverage.
He’s far worse against the run. Among the 63 edge rushers who have played at least half of his teams defensive snaps this season, PFF has Ngakoue ranked 61st in run defense. He is also just 59th among those edge rushers in tackling.
With that kind of minimum impact, it’s worth asking what Ngakoue would be worth on the trade market. Trading him after a below average first half of the season likely won’t result in a great return.
The NFL trade deadline is November 1 at 4 pm ET.
Colts to Be Sellers at Trade Deadline?
The bigger question than what Ngakoue would be worth on the market, though, is whether or not Indianapolis will be sellers at the deadline.
Even Hicks, who proposed searching for a trade partner, tweeted that it’s unlikely the Colts will unload players for draft picks.
There’s a couple potential reasons why the Colts probably won’t be sellers. For one, they are still in the mix in the crowded AFC. But more crucially, some analysts and fans considered head coach Frank Reich and general manager Chris Ballard on the hot seat entering the season.
Giving up on the season would be admitting 2022 is another lost year for the Colts and could lead to their dismissals. Both Reich and Ballard will want to avoid that situation at all costs.
Interestingly, Ngakoue has not only been traded previously, but at the trade deadline in the past. The Minnesota Vikings dealt the edge rusher to the Baltimore Ravens for third and fifth-round picks on October 22, 2020.
Ngakoue has been traded three times overall. The Colts acquired him from the Raiders for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin.
In addition to 3.5 sacks, Ngakoue has posted 14 combined tackles, including 4 tackles for loss and 7 quarterback hits this season. His 3.5 sacks have all come in the last 5 games.
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