Just because the first pairing between the Ravens and Yannick Ngakoue didn't work out as well as hoped doesn't mean the second won't.
The veteran pass rusher joined the Ravens Wednesday for his first practice back in familiar surroundings and came away feeling like he can make an instant impact.
"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."
The Ravens traded for Ngakoue midway through the 2020 season and he notched three sacks in nine games. Expectations were higher back then for the prized deadline addition.
Now back home, the Washington, D.C. native and University of Maryland product is a supplemental piece to other talented outside linebackers Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy, David Ojabo, Tavius Robinson, and more.
"I'm a Maryland guy through and through, born and raised here," Ngakoue said. "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."
Head Coach John Harbaugh said it was a situation where "opportunity met." Ngakoue is healthy again, wants to get back into game action, and was available, so Baltimore signed him to the practice squad.
Ngakoue said he and Harbaugh had kept in touch this offseason, even before he visited the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers. When a deal didn't get done with those teams, Ngakoue kept waiting and the Ravens ultimately reached back out.
"That's kind of exciting," Harbaugh said. "It's good to have another legitimate pass rusher on campus. That's a valuable thing."
While Ngakoue is familiar with his surroundings back at the Under Armour Performance Center, it's an altered defensive system that he has to pick up. He said he stayed up until about 11 p.m. Tuesday night studying tape.
The Ravens signed Kyle Van Noy at this same point last season, heading into Week 4, and he finished with nine sacks. That's a high bar for Ngakoue, who had four sacks last season with the Bears, but the 2017 Pro Bowler with 69 career quarterback takedowns is excited to suit up and see.
"I feel like I had a great day today," Ngakoue said. "I feel like I can contribute now. It's not my decision, it's the guys upstairs. It's their decision to see if I can play or not, but I feel like I'm in great shape."
