Have we seen the last of Yannick Ngakoue in a Colts uniform after his season ending injury?
After being sidelined for the final two games of the season with an injury, Yannick Ngakoue may have played his last game with the Indianapolis Colts.
Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue was a late addition to the injury report for the Indianapolis Colts. After suffering a throat injury in the Week 16 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Ngakoue’s name didn’t pop up on Indy’s injury report until Friday. Quickly after, Ngakoue was placed on injured reserve after it was determined that he’ll need throat surgery. With just two games remaining, the move to injured reserve ends Yannick’s season.
The Colts have already sidelined quite a few of their top players with this year being a lost cause, but Ngakoue’s situation is different. He was playing in the final year of his contract, so it’s possible that he has played his last game with Indianapolis. Will the injury end Ngakoue’s time with the Colts or will Indy do everything possible to re-sign him this offseason? It’ll be better for Indianapolis if they could bring Ngakoue back.
Colts must make sure Yannick Ngakoue returns next season
When Indianapolis traded for Yannick, Ngakoue came to the Colts with a purpose: to bring back a pass rush to the team. He has helped do that as the team already has the most sacks in a Colts’ season since 2005. Ngakoue led the way with 9.5 sacks in 15 games. He also added 29 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, and one forced fumble. Along the way to getting after quarterbacks, Yannick also became a fan favorite.
From the moment he arrived in Indianapolis, Ngakoue immersed himself in the community, creating an open line of communication with fans and finding out ways he could engage with the community and use his platform to help in any way possible. The combination of him as a person and a player is definitely someone that fans wouldn’t want to see leave.
However, Ngakoue will be a free agent after the season and he’ll definitely have a lot of suitors. He has been a consistent pass rusher, recording eight or more sacks every season he’s been in the league. That’s a skill set that every team wants and needs, especially contending teams. While the Colts will be facing some sort of a rebuild this season, they’ll likely have to compete with some of the top teams in the NFL to retain Ngakoue. Surely Indy doesn’t want to spend too much money to get him to re-sign but losing Yannick Ngakoue could also mean a regression in the pass rush.
