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.
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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.