Ngakoue was claimed off waivers last Friday.
Yannick Ngakoue watched as his new New England Patriots’ teammates secured a win in Chicago last weekend — one where his fellow pass rushers recorded nine sacks.
Now taking part in his first practice with the team on Wednesday after being claimed off waivers last Friday, Ngakoue is ready to help New England build off of that performance.
“I’m excited. Happy for the opportunity,” Ngakoue said Wednesday. “We just won a game last week vs. the Bears, so just want to help build on that energy and that momentum so we can continue it for the following weeks.”
The former Pro Bowler comes to Foxboro with 70.5 career sacks, but has recorded just 5.5 over the last two seasons — including just 1.5 in five games with the Ravens before his release this season. Despite the limited production in recent years, New England is hopeful Ngakoue can provide help on all three downs while adding some juice to their pass rush.
In addition to on-field production, head coach Jerod Mayo is hoping the nine-year veteran can make in impact in the locker room.
“Just be a leader. Help build to the culture. Help provide on all three downs and just play fast and physical,” Ngakoue said. “Leadership. Energy. That’s all I really want to bring, because energy is contagious. If we can all have the right energy, then we can win some more football games.”
Ngakoue’s nine-year career has featured stops with seven different teams. His most recent was in Baltimore on a 7-3 Ravens team with Super Bowl aspirations. Now on a 3-7 Patriots squad, Ngakoue is focused on helping turn things around.
“It doesn’t matter to me. Where I was drafted too, it was a [Jaguars] team that didn’t win a lot. The next year we were in the AFC Championship,” Ngakoue said. “It’s all about your perspective. It’s all about how you can build team camaraderie and change those things.”
Ngakoue’s trip to the AFC Championship Game came with a loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium back in 2018. He’s now hoping to help find and bring back that Patriots’ culture inside the building.
“Great tradition, Super Bowl-winning team,” he said of the Patriots. “We’ve just got to bring that culture back. That’s it.”