In what has become a tradition for the Chicago Bears under general manager Ryan Poles, the team add to their roster in training camp, agreeing to terms on a new contract with free agent pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue, per ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter on August 3 citing agent Drew Rosenhaus.
Ngakoue, 28, arrives after recording 9.5 sacks in 2022 for the Indianapolis Colts and had 10 sacks for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021.
He sent a brief message after announcing the deal that is sure to register with the base.
🐻
— Yannick Ngakoue (@YannickNgakoue) August 4, 2023
Bears’ Add Much-Needed Pass Rusher in Yannick Ngakoue
Bears Pass Rush was Anemic
The Bears recorded 20 sacks as a team last season. Just 6.5 sacks came from the EDGE position and then-rookie safety Jaquan Brisker led the way with 4.0 sacks.
They did sign veterans Rasheem Green and DeMarcus Walker – who has taken on a vocal leadership role in training camp – in free agency. Green, 26, had 10.0 sacks over the last two years combined for the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks while Walker recorded a career-high 7.0 sacks for the Tennessee Titans in 2022.
Ngakoue arrives after beginning his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars who drafted him in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft with the No. 69 overall pick. But he has also spent time with the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings.
It is a one-year, $10.5 million contract, per Schefter.
His journeyman track record has led to some questions with former Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt among those doing so.
As Wannstedt noted, Nkagoue has been productive at each of his stops. He only has two years of double-digit sacks. But he has recorded at least 8.0 sacks every season since entering the league in 2016. His 65 sacks since are tied with Vikings EDGE Danielle Hunter and Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs for the seventh-most in the NFL, per Stathead.
Poles was open about the possibility he would add a body on the edge either in free agency or via trade, saying if the opportunity presented itself, he would remain active. Head coach Matt Eberflus said the team had an interest in some of the free agents.
How the incumbent Bears respond will be key with several players already saying they are prepared for additional competition.
“That don’t bother me at all,” second-year man Dominique Robinson said on July 29. “I understand that this is a business, man. I was here last year when they was bringing a dude in almost every other week. So it is what it is. If they want them in, they want them in. If they don’t, they don’t. I know what I need to do to be here, and I’m gonna continue to do that. So it is what it is – I’m not in that discussion.”
None of this should come as a surprise after seeing how this front office has operated since the acquiring Chase Claypool at last year’s trade deadline.
Ryan Poles’ Overhaul of Bears Continues
This very much feels like the next phase of a Bears rebuild. One that began with stripping the roster of a lot of talent last offseason and even during the year. It was clear they were ready to move forward with their moves this summer.
Adding Ngakoue pushes them even further toward competing for this season, though, with EDGE being viewed as one of the few, if not the only unsettled group on this roster.
It only adds to the sense around Halas Hall that this year will be very different.
Bears OC Gets Honest About ‘Valuable’ Difference From Last Season
Of course, moves like this breeds expectations that a team coming off a 3-14 season wouldn’t normally encounter.
Main Photo: Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
