After signing with the Ravens late last month, veteran pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue is set to make his season debut.
Ngakoue and running back Chris Collier have been elevated from the practice squad for Sunday's Week 5 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. A former star at the University of Maryland, the 29-year-old Ngakoue played with the Ravens in 2020 and was signed Sept. 24 to add more depth to the pass rush.
Ngakoue has 69 career sacks for six different teams and his most productive seasons were with the Minnesota Vikings in 2017 (12 sacks) and the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 (10 sacks).
In October of 2020, the Vikings traded Ngakoue to the Ravens in exchange for a third-round pick and a conditional fifth-round pick. In nine games that season, Ngakoue had three sacks, 11 tackles, and two forced fumbles during the regular season. He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Raiders.
Last season with the Chicago Bears, Ngakoue played and started 13 games with 22 tackles and four sacks.
Ngakoue joins a pass rush room that is tied for eighth in the NFL in sacks with 13, led by Kyle Van Noy who has six sacks and was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for September. Ngakoue said last week he believed could making an instant impact whenever he got the opportunity, adding depth to a rotation that also includes Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo, and Tavius Robinson.
"I believe in God, and I believe that everything happens for a reason and it was meant for me to come back," Ngakoue said. "We went through peaks and valleys, just going to different spots and different places, but I feel like ultimately it was meant for me to come back here and to give my best football.
"I'm a Maryland guy through and through, born and raised here. I love the locker room, love the guys here. We have a great quarterback, and I just want to be able to help get the ball back to the offense."
This will be Collier's third elevation, meaning he would need to sign to the 53-man roster in order to play for the Ravens again this season.
