The Chicago Bears are in a great spot to upgrade their roster this offseason. They own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, which they are expected to trade to pick up even more assets. In addition to that, they have cap space galore to spend.
Chicago has over $98 million in cap space that they can use in free agency. If there is a player that they want, they can aggressively pursue them. The team with the next most cap space is the Atlanta Falcons with just under $67 million.
While the team needs to add some more weapons around quarterback Justin Fields, a lot of their focus this offseason will be on the defense. The Bears struggled mightily on that side of the ball in 2022, giving up the most points and ranking 29th in yardage allowed.
A big reason for their lack of success was the lack of a pass rush. The team traded Khalil Mack during the 2022 offseason and Robert Quinn ahead of the deadline. Linebacker Roquan Smith was also on the move, leaving the defense without three of its best veteran players. The results were as disastrous as you would expect.
The Bears finished the season with only 20 sacks as rookie safety Jaquan Brisker led the team with 4.0 sacks. Upgrading the pass rush this offseason is near the top of the team’s to-do list, and an NFL scout that spoke to NFL Analysis Network believes that is exactly what they will do.
“Chicago is going to be scouring the pass-rushing market this offseason. One guy to watch is Yannick Ngakoue. He’s coming off of a good year with the Colts and could cash in with the Bears.”
Yannick Ngakoue has been well-traveled as a professional. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars but has played on four teams in the last three seasons, getting traded three times.
Alas, regardless of where he is playing, Ngakoue has proven to be a great pass rusher. He has recorded at least eight sacks in every season of his career as he lives in the opponent’s backfield. In addition to the sacks, he has at least six tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits in every season as well.
That kind of pass-rushing ability is exactly what the Bears need. If they can add one of the top defenders in the 2023 NFL Draft along with Ngakoue this offseason, things will be shaping up nicely on that side of the ball heading into the 2023 season.
