Not content with the Baltimore Ravens’ current roster and Super Bowl prospects, Eric DeCosta made a huge swing Thursday. The second-year general manager struck a deal with the Minnesota Vikings, swapping their third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a conditional fifth-rounder the following year for Pro Bowl pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue.

The move, which comes less than two weeks before the trade deadline, represents the latest twist in the short career of Ngakoue, one of the top young edge rushers in the game. He began the 2020 league year on the Jacksonville Jaguars, eventually forcing his way to Minnesota shortly before the start of the regular season. The Vikings expected Ngakoue to form an elite pass-rushing tandem with Danielle Hunter, an advantage they believed could propel them to a division crown and perhaps a championship.

Instead, Hunter suffered what the team initially labeled a “minor tweak” to his neck before eventually undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disc. That injury, combined with the disastrous 1-5 start to the Vikings’ season, convinced the front office to trade off the recently acquired Ngakoue for some spare picks in hopes of rebounding next year.

DeCosta identified the situation as beneficial while also honing in on problems with his own roster. Despite holding a 5-1 record and strong early position within the AFC standings, the Baltimore Ravens have valid reasons to doubt their ability to break through and reach the Super Bowl this season. The offense has not matched the efficiency with which it dominated a year ago while the defense has also demonstrated regression in multiple areas. While Ngakoue doesn’t address all of those issues directly, he can supercharge the pass rush and provide cover for the defensive backfield which has struggled to make plays and produce turnovers.

And while the Ravens have plenty of use for the picks sent to acquire Ngakoue, their window for title contention will never appear as open as it does while reigning MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson remains on his rookie contract. Ngakoue also agreed to a restructured deal when he first joined the Vikings, one that included a $4 million signing bonus that will remain on Minnesota’s books. That means Baltimore will only have to pay a prorated portion of the pass rusher’s $8 million base salary, a cost the team can easily absorb.

In terms of on-field impact, Ngakoue will near immediately provide the Ravens with a third premier pass rusher along its defensive front. That group, which already includes defensive end Calais Campbell and outside linebacker Matthew Judon, suddenly presents as formidable a threat as any other in the AFC North. Defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale can lean even more heavily into the versatility of his field-tilting players and create even more havoc for opposing offenses.

Though the Ngakoue acquisition ostensibly addresses a need this season, it remains highly possible that the Ravens look to extend the pass rusher during the offseason. The contract Ngakoue signed with the Vikings notably did not include a no-tag clause, allowing Baltimore to franchise him if needed after the season. Such a situation could hinge on whether the front office can find common ground with Judon who received the franchise tag this past offseason and did not reach an agreement on a long-term deal. Considering that the NFL and NFLPA expect the salary cap to dip significantly due to lost revenue caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Ravens will have a difficult time keeping both Ngakoue and Judon beyond 2020.

Given DeCosta’s aggressive approach toward roster building, the Ngakoue trade might prove to be just his first pre-deadline maneuver. The Ravens’ offensive line has not recovered from the offseason retirement of Marshal Yanda, the future Hall of Famer who arguably played his finest season in 2019. Yanda’s initial replacement, 2020 third-round pick Tyre Phillips, has battled shoulder and hand injuries this season, limiting his effectiveness. Given that DeCosta has already pushed so many of his chips in this year, perhaps it makes sense to identify a veteran offensive lineman on the trade market to shore up a weakness in the trenches.

Still, while the Ravens might still have more moves left to make, the trade for Ngakoue provides them a major boost at a time when nearly all other teams remain static. In no uncertain terms, Baltimore has gone all in on 2020, and any result less than a Lombardi Trophy will represent a disappointment.

Jason B. Hirschhorn
Jason B. Hirschhorn

Jason B. Hirschhorn is an award-winning sports journalist and Pro Football Writers of America member. He has bylines at NFL.com, SB Nation, Sports Illustrated, and other outlets.

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