ESPN Grades Colts / Raiders Trade

The Indianapolis Colts swapped cornerback Rock Ya-Sin for the Las Vegas Raiders edge Yannick Ngakoue on Wednesday.

ESPN included the deal in their grades of the biggest moves made this week, and the Colts and Raiders each came away with a "B+" for the deal.

Ideally a trade benefits both teams, and that seems the consensus of the trade between the Colts and the Raiders.

Ya-Sin has some talent but has been a part-time player for the Colts over the past two seasons. He will be eligible for free agency after the 2022 season. Clearly the Colts didn't plan to extend him and were willing to use him as bait to reel in a pass-rusher.

Can Ngakoue make the Colts better? They surely need someone of his profile. Last season, their defense generated pressure on only 27% of opponents' dropbacks, ranking No. 26 in the NFL. There are certainly reasons to wonder why Ngakoue has changed teams so often in the past two years, but pass-rushers who are available in their mid-20s are going to have some flaws. -- Kevin Seifert, ESPN

Seifert made mention of Ngakoue's five teams since the start of training camp in 2020 being a red flag, but maybe he'll find a home with the Colts.

Ngakoue has just one year left on the two-year contract he signed with the Raiders last season, and Las Vegas was eager to move his salary while bringing in Chandler Jones on a massive deal in free agency.

The Colts could take on Ngakoue's $13 million cap hit without putting much of a dent in their available spending. Indianapolis gets a soon to be 27-year old edge rusher coming off a 10-sack season in a contract year, and the Raiders got the cap room they needed and a solid contributor in Ya-Sin.

A "B+" for both teams sounds about right.