The Baltimore Ravens made a roster move ahead of their 35-34 win against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night. According to ESPN, the team waived former Pro Bowl pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue in hopes of re-signing him to their practice squad.
The Ravens’ calculated risk didn’t pay off, however, as they were unable to re-sign him since the 2-7 New England Patriots picked him off waivers on Friday, according to NFL Media. New England made this move to boost a sagging pass rush. They have generated the fifth-fewest quarterback pressures (29.8%) and the fourth-fewest sacks (16) in the entire NFL.
Ngakoue was a Pro Bowler with the Jaguars in 2017 and recorded 1.5 sacks in five games with the Ravens this season. Ngakoue, who has played for five different franchises since leaving the Jaguars (his original team) in 2020, is returning from an ankle injury suffered late in the 2023 season as a member of the Chicago Bears.
The 29-year-old has 70.5 career sacks, 21 forced fumbles and 72 tackles for loss. Ngakoue established a reputation as a pass rush specialist, totaling at least eight sacks in each of his first seven NFL seasons. That puts him in a club with three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald (2015-2020) and three Hall of Famers: DeMarcus Ware (2005-2011), Derrick Thomas (1989-1995) and Reggie White (1985). -1991) – as the only players to accomplish the feat in their first seven seasons since sacks became an individual statistic in 1982. He last did so in 2022 with the Indianapolis Colts. His career sacks of 70.5 are tied for ninth-most in the NFL with Trey Hendrickson since entering the league as a third-round pick of the Jaguars in 2016. Ngakoue will now play for seven teams in his nine-year NFL career, suiting up for the Jaguars (2016-2019), the Vikings (2020), the Ravens (2020, 2024), the Raiders (2021), the Colts (2022), the Bears (2023) and the Patriots (2024).