The Patriots are a team in need of pass-rush help. On Friday, they received some in the form of a former Pro Bowl edge rusher.

According to a source, the Patriots claimed veteran defensive end Yannick Ngakoue off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens. Ngakoue, 29, has been an efficient pass rusher since coming into the NFL in 2016.

He earned Pro Bowl honors in 2017 with the Jacksonville Jaguars and has 70.5 career sacks. Ngakoue has finished with eight or more sacks in seven of nine NFL seasons played.

The veteran signed with Baltimore this offseason, but played a reserve role with the Ravens. He made 1.5 sacks to go with four quarterback hits in five games played

This season, the Patriots pass rush has been among the worst in the NFL. The defense ranks 29th in the NFL in sacks with 16. They trail only three teams - Atlanta (9), Carolina (10) and Miami (10).

Part of the reason for the lack of sacks is because of who's not in New England. This summer, the Patriots traded Pro Bowl pass rusher Matthew Judon to Atlanta. The defense also lost last year's sack leader in Christian Barmore due to blood clots.

Last week, the team also traded edge rusher Joshua Uche to Kansas City. Uche hadn't done much of late, but did have one season (2021) where he notched 11.5 sacks. On Friday, the Patriots made an attempt to add more pass-rush firepower by claiming Ngakoue.