With a lackluster pass rush heading into 2023, it made sense why the Bears were looking to add to it with veterans that were available on the free-agent market.
According to ESPN’s lead NFL analyst Adam Schefter, the Chicago Bears and star free-agent pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue have agreed to a one-year contract worth $10.5 million.
The Bears will be Ngakoue's sixth team since the start of his career in 2016. The pass-rusher has posted at least eight sacks in every season he has played in the NFL and has totaled 65 sacks in that timespan.
Ngakoue does have connections with Chicago Bears defensive line coach Travis Smith from his 2021 season with the Las Vegas Raiders, which could have helped influence the signing.
Heading into his eighth NFL season, Ngakoue is coming off a season in which he totaled 9.5 sacks with the Indianapolis Colts. To put that into perspective, the entirety of the Bears’ defensive line ended with 6.5 sacks in 2022, the lowest total from a defensive line in Chicago Bears' history.
Outside of sacks, Ngakoue added 29 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. Ngakoue easily becomes the best player on the Chicago Bears defensive line after signing his contract.
How does Yannick Ngakoue help others on the Bears' defensive line? Adding a guy like Ngakoue forces opposing offensive lines to not just game plan for Trevis Gipson or DeMarcus Walker, similar to how opponents had to game plan for Robert Quinn on the other side. Rushing the passer forces errant passes and allows the secondary to make plays on the ball, which creates turnovers.
Ngakoue brings a savvy veteran approach to a super young pass-rush group. Ngakoue excels at first-step quickness, he is super flexible which can allow him to take different paths to the quarterback, and he fills a major need that the Bears had heading into 2023. In Indianapolis playing for defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who ran a similar scheme to Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, he lined up mostly on the right side which will be the same when he steps on the field donning the navy and orange of the Chicago Bears.
If Ngakoue plays up to his contract this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see an extension agreed to after the 2023 NFL season.
Chicago still needs to spend about $5 million to reach the NFL’s salary cap floor so another signing is still likely to happen prior to when the Bears kickoff their 2023 campaign against the Green Bay Packers in early September.
תגובות