The Baltimore Ravens are no strangers to late-summer additions, and they could turn that way again to boost their defense.
The Ravens may be without veteran linebacker Kyle Van Noy after Van Noy suffered an orbital fracture during the Ravens' season-opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
It's unclear how long Van Noy will be out, but the Ravens can't afford more losses to an already-shaky pass rush.
Thus, Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine names Yannick Ngakoue as a potential addition to the Ravens.
Ballentine writes:
"The Ravens' depth on the edges has been suspect for much of training camp and the summer. Kyle Van Noy suffered a fractured orbital bone. Now the need for another edge-rusher is approaching dire territory.
"The free-agent market is mostly barren, but Yannick Ngakoue remains available. He doesn't do much as a run defender and he struggles to set the edge with his size, but he still has a quick first step and the ability to get after the passer for a team that needs that skill set."
The 29-year-old Nakoue has bounced around the NFL over the last four years, playing for five different teams, including a nine-game stint with the Ravens in 2020. He was named a Pro Bowler in 2017 with the Jacksonville Jaguars when he posted a career-best season with 12 sacks and six forced fumbles. He hasn't quite hit that level of production in the years since, though he did have a 10-sack season with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021.
In an interview with Sirius XM in May, Ngakoue suggested his lack of production in 2023 with the Chicago Bears was because of a lack of training camp (Ngakoue didn't sign until late in camp). That seemingly doesn't bode well for Ngakoue to join a team now.
However, the Ravens have experience with adding players on the fly and getting production out of them — Van Noy himself didn't join the Ravens until Week 3 of last season. He went on to have nine sacks and two forced fumbles for the league's top defense.
Ngakoue will surely be a target for several teams. Baltimore may be one of them.