Patriots add veteran pass rusher via waivers
The New England Patriots added some much-needed pass rush help on Friday afternoon, claiming outside linebacker Yannick Ngakoue off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens.
Getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks has been an issue for the New England Patriots this year, especially in recent weeks. The team made a move to address that on Friday afternoon, claiming linebacker Yannick Ngakoue off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens.
Nkagoue, 29, was signed by the Ravens mid-season and appeared in five games for the team. He recorded seven pressures and 1.5 sacks in a rotational pass rushing role. The team released him on Thursday, and reportedly had hoped to re-sign him to the practice squad.
The Patriots will be the seventh team Ngakoue plays for since the start of the 2020 season. That included a 10-sack season with the Raiders in 2021 and a 9.5 sack season for the Colts in 2022. Last year Ngakoue saw his production drop off, as he had just four sacks in 13 games.
Prior to that, Ngakoue played his first four NFL seasons for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who drafted him in the third round in 2016. He had at least eight sacks all four years in Jacksonville, including a 12-sack season in 2017 that resulted in Pro Bowl honors.
Now in New England, Ngakoue will look to help boost a pass rush that ranks among the lowest in the league in pressure rate, and has just 16 sacks – ranking 29th in the NFL – in nine games. The Patriots’ defensive front has taken numerous hits so far this year, from losing Christian Barmore to a medial issue early in camp, to the trade of Matthew Judon before the start of the regular season to Joshua Uche getting traded ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
The Patriots’ current sack leader is Keion White with four, but all four of those came over the first two weeks of the season. Deatrich Wise and Jaquelin Roy are the only other players on the team with multiple sacks this season.
With the limited true pass rush personnel, Ngakoue should have plenty of opportunities with the Patriots for the rest of this season. He’s set to become a free agent this spring after signing a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Ravens back in September.
In order to get Yannick Ngakoue on the active roster, the Patriots will need to make a corresponding move. The Patriots also still need to activate cornerback Alex Austin from IR (his timeline to return runs out on Wednesday), meaning there could be some shakeups in the coming days.
UPDATE: The Patriots waived linebacker Raewkon McMillan to open the roster spot.
