With their two starters on the edge (David Ojabo and Odafe Oweh) unavailable and injured ahead of Sunday's Week 4 game at the Cleveland Browns, the Baltimore Ravens elevated Kyle Van Noy from the practice squad to the active roster on Saturday.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Network broke the news, already adding that the transaction will most probably turn into a season-long deal keeping KVN attached to the Ravens for the full season as a member of their 53-man roster.
The #Ravens are signing LB Kyle Van Noy to their active roster today, source says. Just four days after signing to the practice squad, Van Noy inks a deal that positions him to be on the roster for the remainder of the season.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 30, 2023
Despite the recent addition of Jadeveon Clowney, the Ravens faced challenges on the defensive front with injuries to Oweh and Ojabo, along with IR-placed Tyus Bowser, leaving glaring holes in the linebacker/pass-rushing line.
Van Noy, who is playing at 32 years of age, will add even more experience to a unit that is already benefiting from the presence of fellow veteran and former no. 1 pick Clowney. KVN has racked up 33.5 sacks through 128 career games, including winning two Super Bowls as a member of the New England Patriots in the Tom Brady era.
The Ravens simply had to make this transaction, as well as signing Van Noy earlier this week after having gotten in touch with the pass rusher in the training camp portion of the summer when both sides failed to reach a deal.
Van Noy is coming off spending the 2022 season with the Chargers, so it's not that he's been waiting for a contract on the streets for years on end. He is experienced, has played football as recently as the end of last year, and Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald already spoke highly of KVN after the final practice of the Ravens earlier this week saying that the veteran was already spotting mistakes and providing advice to improve the defense of the Flock just a couple of days after joining the organization.
With only two weekly activations from the practice squad allowed by the NFL, someone had to sign a full-time/first-team deal and in this case, KVN was the main beneficiary of all of the injuries currently depleting Baltimore's roster.