The Baltimore Ravens’ defense has been playing at a high level this season but they’re missing just a little something. With the NFL trade deadline quickly approaching, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta once again got aggressive this season.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Baltimore is finalizing a trade with the Minnesota Vikings to land defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. In exchange for the Pro Bowl pass rusher, the Ravens are sending a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Ngakoue’s presence should be felt immediately by Baltimore. In six games with the Vikings this season, Ngakoue has five sacks and seven quarterback hits. Though Ngakoue is coming off two relatively down seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he still accounted for 17.5 sacks from 2018-2019.
Ngakoue should help free up outside linebacker Matthew Judon, who has largely disappointed this season after getting handed the franchise tag in the offseason. Judon has just two sacks, both coming against the Washington Football Team.
