The Baltimore Ravens narrowly avoided starting the year 0-3 after their win over the Dallas Cowboys in a 28-25 victory. Baltimore certainly did not expect to start the year the way they have, where even the recent win against Dallas looked bad. They were up 28-6 to start the fourth quarter and nearly lost the game, although Lamar Jackson felt there were certain reasons for that.
The team was clearly looking for reinforcement even before that narrow win, and now they have a former Pro Bowl defensive end to join their ranks.
Baltimore Ravens Sign Pro Bowler On The Defensive Line
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Ravens are bringing a familiar face back to the team in hopes of bolstering the defensive line for the rest of the season. John Harbaugh and the organization must feel that they are not getting to opposing quarterbacks enough so far this season so they are bringing in a former pro-bowler to help.
“More pass-rush help on the way,” Schefter reported. “Ravens are bringing back DE Yannick Ngakoue, who last played in Baltimore in 2020, per source. The 29-year-old Ngakoue has 69 career NFL sacks.”
Yannick Ngakoue is a younger veteran at just 29 years old and has plenty of NFL experience which included 65 career sacks. He has ample playoff experience too, as he was a fundamental player for the Jacksonville Jaguars when they had their legendary “Sacksonville” era in 2017.
He earned the Pro Bowl nod in just his second year in the NFL, but after his great start to his career, he bounced around to a couple of different spots. He moved from the Jaguers to the Ravens, and while he had a short stint, he is making his return to their d-line.
Many Ravens fans have been wanting the team to make a move for another defensive end, as they lost many of their top players on the defensive side from last year. Many believe that this will help even a little, after their shocking slow start to the 2024 season.
While he was not as explosive as he once was, last year he was still a viable threat of the edge and accounted for 4 sacks in 13 games. The former 3rd round pick has recorded double-digit sacks for many of the years prior and he should get playing time as soon as week 4.
It never hurts to add a veteran defender to the locker room that can get after the quarterback and that is something that has been missing for this Ravens defense through three games so far.
The Ravens are dealing with some other issues as well, as their all-time kicker Justin Tucker seems to be having some major struggles this season.
Related: NFL and Baltimore Ravens Fans Are Starting To Get Anxious About Justin Tucker
