Patriots miss out on perfect player to pair with Keion White this season

Because the Patriots' quarterback situation and lackluster offense continue to be the center of conversation regarding their poor start to the 2024 season, other issues with the roster are being overlooked, especially on defense. But one of their weaker areas continues to be the pass rush, with only Keion White being a force on the defensive line thus far.

It was a factor that made the Matthew Judon trade questionable from the beginning and explained why many believed the Patriots could not trade perhaps their best defensive player of the last several years. They did, of course, trade him to the Falcons and the rise of White in his absence has been noteworthy.

But outside of the second-year defensive end, the pass rush is almost nonexistent.

That put New England in the mix to add another member to their roster, whether through free agency or trade, before next month's deadline. The leading name continued to be Yannick Ngakoue, a name of interest throughout the offseason.

Since leaving the Jaguars in 2020, the Pro Bowler has spent time with five teams, recording 31.5 sacks, 102 combined tackles, 29 tackles for a loss, and 57 quarterback hits. At 29 years old, he would have been a great player to add to the defensive line to mentor a guy like White with Judon and Christian Barmore out of the lineup.

Unfortunately, the Patriots missed their chance. According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Ravens are reuniting with Ngakoue and are signing him as they prepare for their Week 4 matchup with the Bills next Sunday night.

While there were no indications that the Patriots were actually interested in signing Ngakoue at any point, it's still noteworthy that now they won't have the choice.

Because the offense continues to be a problem and the new regime intends to keep a dominant defense, it would have served them well to inquire about bringing the veteran in, even more so after their embarrassing loss to the Jets last Thursday.

Now, they won't have the opportunity for at least the foreseeable future with Ngakoue, but it shouldn't deter them from looking elsewhere for more help for White.

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