The Ravens have promoted outside linebacker Yannick Ngakoue from their practice squad to the 53-man roster, the team announced Oct. 15. To create room on the roster, offensive lineman Sala Aumavae-Laulu has been waived.
Ngakoue, 29, is in his second stint with the team after being signed to the practice squad three weeks ago. He was a game day elevation for the past two weeks and recorded his first sack of the season this past Sunday in the Ravens’ 30-23 win over Washington.
Ngakoue, a native of Bowie, Md., who played collegiately at Maryland, first came to the Ravens from the Minnesota Vikings in a midseason trade in 2020. Ngakoue played in nine games for the Ravens that season but did not make a big impact, with 11 tackles and three sacks. He was not re-signed after the season and has since played for the Las Vegas Raiders (2021), Indianapolis Colts (2022) and Chicago Bears (2023).
He was originally a third-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016 and spent four seasons in Jacksonville. He recorded a career-high 12 sacks in 2017, earning Pro Bowl recognition.
In two games this season for the Ravens, Ngakoue has played a total of 24 snaps. He could have been elevated from the practice squad one more time before moving to the 53-man roster, but he was also thought be drawing interest from other teams looking for edge-rush help.
Outside linebacker depth has been a concern. Rookie third-round pick Adisa Isaac has been slowed most of the season by hamstring injuries, and Malik Harrison missed the Washington game with a groin injury. Kyle Van Noy leads the Ravens with six sacks, and Odafe Oweh has 3.5. David Ojabo and Tavius Robinson, each of whom have one sack, have also seen occasional action on the edge.
Head coach John Harbaugh called Ngakoue a “big addition,” and said he first got to know Ngakoue before the draft in 2016.
“Every time I see him, he tells me how excited he is to be here,” Harbaugh said, “and how he’s got our backs and everything like that. I see it in the way he’s practicing and the way he’s playing. … [He’s a] big addition to our team.”
Aumavae-Laulu, meanwhile, has never found a home in the Ravens’ offensive line rotation, though he could be a candidate to return to the practice squad if he clears waivers. The 2023 sixth-round pick has appeared in just two games during his two NFL seasons, playing a handful of special teams snaps this year. Mentioned as a candidate for the starting left guard job as a rookie, Aumavae-Laulu lost out to John Simpson that season, and then fell behind Andrew Vorhees, Patrick Mekari and others on the depth chart this season.
In another practice squad move, the Ravens released defensive back Damarion “Pepe” Williams, who had been signed to the practice squad a week ago after being among the team’s final roster cuts in August.
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