After the Baltimore Ravens beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-35 last Sunday, picking up their first win of the 2024 NFL season, Ravens head coach Jim Harbaugh delivered a heartfelt shoutout to Lamar Jackson. The team is in good spirits after a hard-fought victory against the Cowboys and added a familiar name to its pass rush defense. Baltimore is reportedly signing free-agent defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“More pass-rush help on the way: Ravens are bringing back DE Yannick Ngakoue, who last played in Baltimore in 2020, per source,” Schefter reported. “The 29-year-old Ngakoue has 69 career NFL sacks.”
Ngakoue last played for the Chicago Bears in 2023. He also spent the past three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and the Las Vegas Raiders after his first five seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, earning one Pro Bowl selection in 2017. Ngakoue will join the team’s practice squad, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec.
After the win, coach Harbaugh honored his quarterback Jackson for an excellent performance against the Cowboys, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
“I thought Lamar was just phenomenal throughout the game,” Harbaugh said. “He took over the last drive. I thought the biggest throw at the end, and the big catches at the end. Zay made that huge catch. He made some big runs at the end. He ran the ball well at the end.”
Ravens add pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue to practice squad
The Baltimore Ravens defense has gotten 6.5 sacks in three games between Kyle Van Noy (four) and Odafe Oweh. For head coach Jim Harbaugh, adding a veteran like Yannick Ngakoue could bolster the team’s defensive approach between now and the end of the regular season.
Ngakoue, acquired in a trade with the Vikings, played nine games for the Ravens in 2020. He had 22 tackles and four sacks with the Bears last year. He will join David Ojabo, Tavius Robinson, and Adisa Isaac as the other edge rushers on the Ravens’ roster.
