Ravens Waive Veteran DE

The Baltimore Ravens make a surprising roster move.

Nov 1, 2020; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) rushes during the second half as Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva (78) blocks at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Yannick Ngakoue's second stint with the Baltimore Ravens was a short one.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Ravens waived the veteran defensive end on Thursday morning. Ngakoue signed to the Ravens' practice squad on Sept. 24 and signed to the 53-man roster on Oct. 15.

Ravens are waiving DE Yannick Ngakoue, per source. The Ravens want to re-sign him to their practice squad should he clear waivers.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 7, 2024

Schefter adds that the Ravens would like to re-sign Ngakoue to the practice squad if he clears waivers, but that's far from a certainty.

Ngakoue, 29, appeared in five games for the Ravens this season as a rotational player. In that time, he notched five total tackles, four quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks.

The Ravens are not especially deep on the edge, and their pass-rush stats have declined significantly over the past few weeks. Even though Ngakoue played sparsely, seeing action on less than 40 percent of defensive snaps each game, it's still a blow to Baltimore's depth.

A Washington D.C. native who played at Maryland in college, Ngakoue previously played for the Ravens in 2020 after a mid-season trade from the Minnesota Vikings. In nine games then, he recorded 11 total tackles, three quarterback hits and three sacks. Unfortunately, both stints with his local team have not gone to plan.

Ngakoue has also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears.

Now, there is a good reason why the Ravens made this move. Second-year running back Keaton Mitchell is close to returning from a devastating knee injury he suffered late last season, and could make his season debut against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night. The Ravens needed an open roster spot in order to activate them, and releasing Ngakoue accomplishes just that.

The Ravens and Bengals kick off from M&T Bank Stadium at 8:15 p.m. ET.

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