It seems far-fetched and quite speculative, but one major sports outlet has mentioned the Cleveland Browns as one of the potential landing spots for standout Jacksonville Jaguars EDGE Yannick Ngakoue.
CBS Sports notes that ESPN’s Adam Schefter listed the Browns as one of the potential suitors for Ngakoue. who has demanded a trade from the Jaguars. Cleveland certainly makes some sense from a need standpoint, and the Browns do have the immediate salary cap room needed to absorb Ngakoue’s franchise tag figure of over $18 million.
Ngakoue has posted 37.5 sacks in his four NFL seasons and brings the type of speedy game that would nicely complement Myles Garrett’s considerable talents on the other side of the formation. He desperately wants out of Jacksonville and has told the Jaguars he will not play for the franchise tag in 2020.
If the Browns had legitimate interest in free agent Jadeveon Clowney, they’ll certainly at least discuss the possibility of landing Ngakoue, a much more productive pass rusher than the veteran Clowney. Recent reports state the Jaguars would demand at least one first-round pick for Ngakoue, and also owner Shad Khan does not want to make a deal.
Of course it’s all just hypothetical talk at this point, but stay tuned…especially if the Browns don’t address EDGE in the 2020 NFL Draft in a little over two weeks.
