Haloti

Ngata

Ngata finished his career with three seasons in Detroit before a one-year stint with the Eagles, but he will be forever linked with the Ravens, who made him the 12th-overall pick of the 2006 draft. Ngata was one of the best interior linemen in the league during his nine seasons in Baltimore, earning five Pro Bowl nods and back-to-back First-Team All-Pro selections. He also won his only Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2012. Ngata might not have the overall body of work to earn a Hall of Fame induction, but he should certainly become a member of the Ravens’ Ring of Honor.

Ngata has been sidelined since Week 4 because of a calf injury. His return is a boost for an already strong defensive front.

Ngata missed the last three games but was close to returning in Week 7. He’s on the right side of questionable this week. Ngata’s presence would be a downgrade for T.J. Yeldon and Carlos Hyde.

Ngata was a late addition to the injury report after getting in a limited practice Friday. It would be a downgrade to the Eagles’ interior pass rush if he can’t play. With Derek Barnett (shoulder) out, Philly’s defensive line is at less than full strength going into Week 5.

Ngata missed Baltimore’s preseason opener. Fellow rookie David Pittman (hamstring) also was back in action over the weekend.

Ngata is considered day-to-day and may only miss a few practices.

Contract discussions are accelerating as Tuesday is the deadline for franchised players to reach a long-term extension until the next league year. Ngata will easily clear Vince Wilfork’s five-year, $40 million deal signed in March of 2010. Vincent Jackson and Paul Soliai are considered unlikely to be extended by the Chargers and Dolphins respectively.

A first-team All Pro in 2010 and a two-time Pro Bowler, Ngata is one of the NFL’s elite defensive linemen playing in his age-27 season. Scheduled to earn $12.5 million under the franchise tag, Ngata will now become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL with $20 million guaranteed in each of the first two seasons of his new deal. Those guarantees match Ndamukong Suh’s rookie deal from 2010. Ngata and Terrell Suggs are the key to the Ravens defensive future with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed past their primes.

He did not start but he ended up working his way into the starting unit shortly after the game started. Ngata added that he didn’t think he made the injury any worse, so presumably he’ll be good to go for Week 10 against the Seahawks.

Ngata was perhaps the leading candidate for defensive player of the year honors through mid-October, before the deep thigh injury sapped his explosiveness. While Ngata still earned a top-15 grade from Pro Football Focus at defensive tackle, he was merely holding his own in the final 2-3 months as opposed to dominating the line of scrimmage.