Ravens notebook: Ngakoue’s return, Tucker’s technique issue, rulebook loophole

With a pass rush that’s been hot and cold over the first three weeks of the 2024 season, the Ravens are adding a familiar veteran to the mix in the aftermath of Sunday’s 28-25 win at Dallas.

Baltimore is expected to sign former University of Maryland product and 2017 Pro Bowl edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue to its practice squad, according to ESPN and The Athletic. The 29-year-old has registered 69 sacks over eight seasons spent with six different teams, which included part of the 2020 campaign with the Ravens after general manager Eric DeCosta acquired him from Minnesota in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 fifth-round selection prior to the trade deadline.

Ngakoue’s first stint with the Ravens was underwhelming as he wasn’t perceived as a great fit and registered a modest three sacks in 11 games including two postseason contests. He departed via free agency the following March and has since recorded 23 1/2 sacks over the last three seasons. Ngakoue spent 2023 with Chicago and recorded four quarterback takedowns in 13 games before sustaining a broken ankle that ended his season in December. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus graded Ngakoue 67th out of 68 edge defenders to have played at least 500 snaps last season.

Led by strong starts from starting outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, the Ravens entered Monday ranking a respectable ninth in the NFL with 10 sacks, but how disruptive Zach Orr’s pass rush has been overall is up for debate. Baltimore’s pressure rate ranks 17th in Pro Football Reference’s version of the measurement and 22nd in to Next Gen Stats’ tracking, but PFF currently ranks the Ravens 12th in pass-rush grade.

Regardless of one’s perception, Ngakoue is an interesting addition to an edge rotation that includes less experienced options in David Ojabo, Tavius Robinson, and Adisa Isaac behind Van Noy and Oweh.

The Ravens currently rank last in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game, so beefing up the pass rush is one way to try to help a pass defense that’s faltered in the fourth quarter in back-to-back weeks.

“We’re rushing the passer well, but we can be a little more consistent in terms of our rush lanes and some of our games and things like that and then being on point with that,” head coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “And then coverage is just getting a little loose in the fourth quarter for whatever reason. That’s just something that we just have to [clean up].”

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“Technique issue” plaguing Tucker

Much has been made about Justin Tucker’s struggles from 50-plus yards since the start of last season, but the seven-time Pro Bowl kicker’s miss early in the fourth quarter was a different story.

Not only did Tucker miss from a shorter 46 yards, but he’s now missed a field goal in three straight games for the first time in his 13-year career. That kick would have extended Baltimore’s 28-6 lead to a four-possession game, but the Cowboys instead got the ball with good field position and began their comeback from there.

Tucker was visibly frustrated after his latest miss, and Harbaugh had a lengthy interaction with his longtime kicker in the closing moments of Sunday’s victory.

“He’s everything that you want in a player [and] in a friend, so that was really the basis of that [conversation],” Harbaugh said. “Beyond that for Justin, it’s just a technique issue right now that he’s working through. He’s got a technique thing going on, and he’ll work through it. He knows exactly what it is, and he just needs to smooth it back out. I’m very confident that he will.”

Tucker’s three misses this season — from 53 in Kansas City, from 56 against Las Vegas, and from 46 Sunday — were each wide left.

Loophole saves Dallas from safety

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If you’re still wondering how Dak Prescott’s pass to an ineligible receiver from his own end zone didn’t result in a safety in the second quarter, he and the Cowboys could thank a loophole in the NFL rulebook.

Intentional grounding — which results in a safety when committed in the end zone — cannot be called without the ball touching the ground, and Dallas guard Tyler Smith illegally made the reception.

“They said it’s not intentional grounding because somebody caught it even though it’s an illegal receiver that caught it, which is a penalty,” Harbaugh said. “Basically, they get rewarded for having a penalty there. That’s probably not what they want by the rules, so we’ll see.”

In other words, you can expect the Ravens to propose a rule change to the competition committee to address this loophole next offseason.