The Patriots got Yannick Ngakoue off waivers from the Ravens yesterday. But New England isn’t the only team that wanted him.
The Bengals also put in a waiver claim for Ngakoue, according to Field Yates of ESPN. The waiver order is the same as the draft order, with the worse team getting the higher priority, so the 2-7 Patriots got Ngakoue ahead of the 4-6 Bengals.
If Ngakoue had been given the choice, it’s entirely possible that he would have preferred the Bengals, because they have a better chance of making a run to the playoffs than the Patriots do. And Ngakoue would have had a choice if the Ravens had cut him two days earlier. But the Ravens waited until after the trade deadline to move on from Ngakoue, which meant he was subject to the NFL’s waiver system and had to go to the highest-priority team that put in a claim for him.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Ravens deliberately waited until after the trade deadline to move on from Ngakoue specifically because they wouldn’t have wanted a team they could have to compete with for an AFC playoff berth to get him. Ngakoue going to the Patriots, who have almost no chance of making the playoffs, is better for the Ravens.
No teams besides the Patriots and Bengals put in claims for Ngakoue.
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