Patriots steal potential Preston Smith replacement from Packers

Trading Preston Smith was an unsurprising and understandable move, but the Green Bay Packers' decision not to replace him raised eyebrows.

It's easier said than done, of course, but the New York Giants' rumored asking price for Azeez Ojulari gave the Packers a golden opportunity to strengthen their pass rush. Ojulari remains in New York, and Green Bay may live to regret that decision.

Following the NFL trade deadline, another potential pass-rush target emerged when the Baltimore Ravens released veteran Yannick Ngakoue. While the former third-round pick had played a limited role for the Ravens this season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that they wanted him back if he cleared waivers.

Ngakoue did not. Not even close. The New England Patriots, who had the third priority in the waiver order, put in a claim for the veteran pass-rusher.

The NFL no longer discloses which teams had an unsuccessful claim, so it's unclear whether the Packers had interest, but the Patriots gave them no shot, regardless.

Missing out on Ngakoue is hardly a season-wrecking loss. He hasn't played at a Pro Bowl level for several seasons and would likely have been a backup in Green Bay. However, given the state of the Packers' pass rush, his talent and experience could've boosted this unit's production after trading Smith.

Ngakoue would've been a low-risk, high-upside addition. While he may have had a down year in Chicago and didn't play much for Baltimore this season, his numbers would still rank high among Packers defenders.

Yannick Ngakoue vs. Packers pass rushers since the start of 2023

Since the start of last season, the only Packers player with more sacks than Ngakoue is Rashan Gary. The veteran's production is similar to first-round pick Lukas Van Ness.

The 29-year-old can still play. Despite only featuring on 87 snaps for the Ravens this season, he registered two sacks and seven pressures, per PFF. His win percentage of 12.1 is higher than any Packers edge-rusher (not including Arron Mosby, who has only played seven snaps).

He only has one fewer sack and three less pressures than Preston Smith, who out-snapped Ngakoue 308-87.

Ngakoue may not have played often for the Ravens, but he still pressured quarterbacks at a healthy rate. If we wind back the clock to Gary's first season in a full-time role, their numbers are pretty close.

Yannick Ngakoue vs. Rashan Gary since 2021

Gary became an every-week starter for the Packers in 2021. If we look at the two players' numbers since then, Gary only has a slight advantage. In that span, they have played almost the same number of games (Gary 51, Ngakoue 50).

Per PFF, Gary has a comfortable lead in pressures with 211 compared to Ngakoue's 148.

But the veteran could've been a useful, short-term addition to the Packers' pass rush. Instead, he lands in New England to help a 2-7 team going nowhere.

It's unclear how many teams put in a claim, and the Packers' chances were slim with 24 teams ahead of them in waiver priority. Other opportunities could arise for Green Bay to bolster its pass rush, but in the meantime, it needs Van Ness to finally live up to his first-round potential.

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