Spielman knows when to Fold ‘Em
Dustin Baker
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Kenny Rogers and Yannick Ngakoue
Two shock trades have orbited the Yannick Ngakoue in just eight weeks. In late August, the Vikings sent a second-round and conditional fifth-round draft pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the rights to the 2017 Pro Bowler. Minnesota has since bumbled to an unforeseen 1-5 start to 2020 while Ngakoue has played quite well. He currently ranks fourth in the NFL in sacks and fifth in forced fumbles. To a degree, Ngakoue’s membership with the Vikings has been a stop-gap with Danielle Hunter missing 2020 due to a neck injury.
It was a stop-gap that lasted six games. Minnesota opted to trade the just-acquired Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens for a third-round and fifth-round pick on Thursday. Rumors of a Vikings fire-sale were rampant after the Atlanta Falcons flogged the Vikings in Week 6, but Ngakoue was not one of the emergent players expected to be traded. Wrong.
Instead, Ngakoue was the first to go. The Vikings claw back a decent draft pick from the Ravens with this transaction while the memory of the second-rounder (which will be a high pick) that was sent to Jacksonville seethes in the heads of fans. The Jaguars will likely net a 33rd-to-43rd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft for their participation in the Ngakoue barter. It’sunlikely that even Jacksonville’s leadership foresaw the pick to be that scintillating.
There are no tangible indications that general manager Rick Spielman will make any more moves as of now – only theories. The trade deadline is November 3rd, so there is ample time to wheel and deal if Spielman has something up his sleeve.
This move was head-scratching. In no way can it be perceived as ideal. It was a desperation-type of maneuver to yank backsomething in return — for a player that was outwardly having a decent campaign.
In his mind, though, Spielman knew when to fold ’em.
A Salvage Move with Indicators Aforethought
In Week 1 of 2020, Danielle Hunter and Yannick Ngakoue were slated to be one of the NFL’s top pass-rushing tandems. Hunter succumbed to a mysterious neck injury and is now lost for the remainder of the season. It was The Ngakoue and OdenigboShow – a duo that has led Minnesota to a 16th-place ranking in sacks per game. What’s more, Odenigbo has 12 quarterback pressures per profootballreference.com whereas Ngakoue has 11.
It has been an average combination in comparison to the lofty upside of what a Hunter-Nkgaoue pairing would have produced.
Ergo, staring at a 1-5 record, Spielman sent Ngakoue to Maryland to recoup some draft capital. It was a curious move as the Vikings likely would have received some compensatory draft compensation if Ngakoue did not re-up with Minnesota in the offseason. If Spielman’s sole goal was to plan for 2021 and beyond, it adds up. Spielman – a man that adores draft capital – wants his toys back. He gets a semblance of that indemnity with this trade but certainly not the delicious second-rounder that he traded at the end of August for the 25-year-old Ngakoue.
For the puzzle to interlock, Spielman must have had the knowledge (or at least an inkling) that Ngakoue would depart Minnesota in March of 2021. Perhaps the man (Ngkaoue) has an indignant resentment toward teams with losing records. That’show Spielman landed him in the first place.
The deal is coherent, to an extent, if Ngakoue would simply leave after a rental season.
Thru 6 Weeks, Ngakoue was Vikings 5th-Best Defender
Of course, it is stomach-churning for a team beset by pass-rushing woes to see its best defensive lineman hit the dusty trail. “Addition by subtraction” will not work in the short-term with this situation. The immediate wake of this move cannot be spuninto a positive. Ifeadi Odenigbo is now the team’s most formidable defensive end. One year ago, he was a third-string player.
Nevertheless, the trade of Ngakoue to Baltimore is not akin tocoughing away Lawrence Taylor. Ngakoue is an extraordinary edge rusher, but he is not irreplaceable in the longterm. That’sthe rub. Spielman, we think, has some sort of plan for Hunter’s running-mate in 2021.
When folks woke up Thursday morning, Yannick Ngakoue was the Vikings fifth-best player on defensive as adjudicated by 2020 grades. That’s right, these men have higher grades as of now: Harrison Smith, Todd Davis, Eric Kendricks, and Shamar Stephen.
PFF is not the unadulterated holy grail for football, but these rankings do show that Ngakoue is not God. He is a good football player, not unparalleled.
Extended Look at D.J. Wonnum
Now, like much of the remainder of this campaign, we turn to other areas for excitement. D.J. Wonnum with be the team’s interim defensive end, opposite Odenigbo. Wonnum is a fourth-round talent from the University of South Carolina. He’s 22 and will get a rather precious and rare opportunity to make a name for himself. It is infrequent that a fourth-rounder is handed a starting job during his maiden voyage.
But that will probably occur with Wonnum. He will use the Vikings remaining 10 games to create more tricky decisions for Spielman this offseason. In 2021, Wonnum, Odenigbo, or a newcomer to be named later will be the “other” defensive end for the Vikings. This is Wonnum’s almighty audition.
The aftermath of Wonnum’s performance will help illuminate whether acquiring [and then quickly trading] Yannick Ngakouewas damning or inconsequential. It’s newly rumored that Danielle Hunter wants a larger contract in 2021, so having a youngster on a rookie deal – that plays at a high level – would be beneficial to all parties involved. You’ve gotta know when to hold em.