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The Baltimore Ravens are making a significant upgrade to their defensive line ahead of the November 3rd NFL trade deadline. The team is acquiring defensive lineman Yannick Ngakoue from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for draft picks. Adam Schefter is reporting the Ravens will send a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional fifth-round pick.
Ngakoue has to go through Covid-19 testing upon arrival in Baltimore. The Ravens are on a bye this week, so he has time to prepare for their huge Week 8 home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Ravens rank 9th in adjusted sack rate and 9th in pass rush win rate. They were already a solid unit, but the addition of Ngakoue could turn them into one of the two or three best pass rushes in the league. He had five sacks in six games with the Vikings. His career high in sacks came in 2017 when he finished with 12.
The Vikings are going nowhere fast this season and Ngakoue is only signed for the current season. In August, Minnesota acquired him from the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2021 second-round pick and 2022 conditional fifth-round pick.