The Patriots claimed former Pro Bowl pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue off waivers from the Ravens and released LB Raekwon McMillan in a late Friday transaction.
New England's decision to release the veteran linebacker to make room for Ngakoue on the 53-man roster is surprising. After captain Ja'Whaun Bentley suffered a season-ending injury in September, McMillan got the first crack at replacing the tone-setting linebacker on the second level of the Pats defense. In Weeks 3-6, McMillan started at inside linebacker, playing 67.6% of the defensive snaps, and was a core contributor on special teams. However, the 27-year-old struggled on defense.
During his four-game stint as a starter, McMillan registered a 35.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus (grade out of 100). He missed half as many tackles (3) as he made stops (6) and allowed five catches on five targets for 55 yards. Eventually, McMillan lost his starting job to special teams ace Christian Elliss. Although he continued to play a role on special teams, McMillan only played 36 snaps at linebacker over the last three weeks.
From that perspective, it's not a huge surprise that McMillan was released. But the Patriots ruled out Elliss (abdomen) for Sunday's game vs. the Bears, so one would've assumed McMillan would be in the mix on defense. As with Ngakoue, vested veterans must pass through waivers now that the trade deadline has passed. If he does clear waivers, McMillan could return on the practice squad. But, for now, he's no longer a Patriot.
The Patriots being down Elliss and cutting McMillan could signal that free-agent addition Sione Takitaki is ready to take on a larger role in the defense. Takitaki signed with the team in March from the Browns to contribute on defense. Last season, the 29-year-old linebacker played 61.1% of the defensive snaps in Cleveland and was a solid contributor on the top-ranked Browns defense, especially in passing situations.
The expectation was that Takitaki would play a significant role on the Patriots defense, maybe similar to former passing downs specialists Mack Wilson. However, the veteran linebacker had an offseason knee procedure that lingered into training camp. Takitaki began camp on the PUP list and eventually landed on injured reserve. Takitaki was activated in early October, but his knee issue lingered.
Along with getting healthy, defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington also pointed to Takitaki needing to grasp the playbook as a newcomer who missed training camp this summer.
"He just started practicing a couple weeks ago. When you have a player who just got off injury, and he hasn't been with us in previous years, just trying to find his role and develop that role," Covington said.
Takitaki is completely off the injury report, signaling he's ready to step into a more significant role. New England also has practice-squad LB Joe Giles-Harris as a potential elevation for depth purposes. Giles-Harris was elevated for the Patriots loss to the Jets in Week 3, where he played 14 snaps on special teams. He could fill the void left behind by McMillan in the kicking game.
Moving on to Ngakoue, the Patriots pass rush could use a boost. New England ranks 27th in team pressure rate (29.7%) and 31st in pressure rate from a four-man rush (23.7%). The Pats pressure rate differential when they blitz (44.1%) versus when they don't blitz (22.6%) is the fourth-highest in the NFL. Their pressure rate when they bring extra rushers is solid, but that comes at a cost because it takes defenders out of coverage.
As his release from the Ravens suggests, Ngakoue isn't the player he once was when he was making Pro Bowls (2017) and posting double-digit sack seasons. Still, the nine-year vet has 70.5 career sacks and posted a 12.2% pass-rush win rate with Baltimore this season. Out of 125 qualified pass-rushers, Ngakoue ranks a respectable 50th in win rate. Last season, the 29-year-old had decent production with the Bears, posting four sacks and 34 quarterback pressures.
The Patriots new pass-rusher's signature move is the cross-chop. He'll use this to swat down on the offensive tackle's punch to keep the blockers' hands off his frame, allowing Ngakoue to bend the corner to get to the quarterback. Ngakoue is also a solid wrap rusher on stunt schemes, making him an interesting fit as a situational pass-rusher.
Ngakoue is an inconsistent run defender, which is why he only 17 of his 87 snaps with the Ravens were vs. the run, and he will rush past the quarterback at times. Sturdiness on the edge and rush discipline have always been knocks on Ngakoue, so he'll likely play a situational role in New England. Ngakoue will likely be inactive this week in Chicago seeing that he has yet to practice with the Patriots.
The Patriots are always tinkering with their roster, and Friday's transactions are the latest example of that. McMillan was once an important depth piece on this team but fell out of favor quickly, while Ngakoue will get a try-out with the club to bolster a struggling pass rush.
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