The New England Patriots picked up their third win of the season against the Chicago Bears in Week 10. The team also picked up former Pro Bowl pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue. The Patriots were pretty quiet at the trade deadline so the team hopes the veteran defensive end can be a boost to its defense.
Head coach Jerod Mayo sees Ngakoue as a three-down player. “I'm excited to really teach him the playbook and excited to see what he will bring to this team. Look, he's not just a pass rusher. This guy has the skill set to be able to play on all three downs, which is always exciting,” Mayo said per a press conference transcript provided by the Patriots’ official site.
“We're excited to get Yannick here. I've watched him on tape for a very long time. He's been a very productive player in this league. He has not met with the team yet. In saying that, he'll get with the coaches here soon,” Mayo added.
The Patriots added pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue
The Baltimore Ravens surprisingly released Ngakoue prior to their Week 10 Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals. While Ngakoue was a third-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016 and he made his lone Pro Bowl in 2017, the defensive end has bounced around the league after his first four seasons in Jacksonville. The Patriots are the sixth team he has played for since 2019, and he had two stints with the Ravens in that time.
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Ngakoue has collected double digit sacks twice in his nine-year career. However, he’s also posted two 9.5 sack seasons, one as recently as 2022 with the Indianapolis Colts.
The well-traveled veteran was just claimed off waivers on Friday so he obviously didn’t suit up for the Patriots in Week 10. However, Mayo and the organization view him as a potential difference-maker on defense for the rest of the season.
The Patriots are just 3-7 and currently in third place in the AFC East, where the Buffalo Bills are dominating with a 8-2 record this season. New England faces the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11 and the team doesn’t have its bye week until Week 14, so they’re going to have to introduce Ngakoue into the defense during game prep over the next three weeks.
