One of the more surprising developments of the 2023 NFL offseason was the lack of interest in edge rusher, Yannick Ngakoue. Yannick Ngakoue is well-traveled, playing on five different teams in the last six seasons. But, where he has played, he has produced.
The Maryland product has played in the NFL for seven seasons. He played the first four with the Jacksonville Jaguars but has been on the move ever since. He split the 2020 season between the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens before spending a season with the Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts.
In each of them, he has recorded at least 8.0 sacks, reaching double-digits twice. While he doesn’t offer much in the run game, that kind of production as a pass rusher is something that teams covet.
Even when Yannick Ngakoue isn’t getting sacks, he is in the backfield causing havoc. He has at least 26 quarterback pressures and 14 quarterback hits in each season of his career in addition to the sack numbers.
Desperately needing a pass-rushing upgrade, the Chicago Bears worked out a one-year deal with Yannick Ngakoue at the end of last week. The Bears are his sixth team in five seasons and he believes the transition will be an easy one. He also believes that Chicago is a place he was destined to be.
“I feel like it was meant for me to be here,” Ngakoue said, via the team’s website. “I actually have a bear tatted on my hand. I feel like that was a sign to me that I was always meant to be a Chicago Bear. I just wanted to go somewhere I feel like I fit in, and I feel like I fit in here. It’s a great culture, great history. It’s a great place to play football.”
The Bears are certainly happy about how things worked out. Last season they finished with only 20 sacks, led by 4.0 from defensive back Jaquan Brisker in 15 games.
That is a number they are hoping Yannick Ngakoue will at least double during the upcoming season as the team’s leader. This could be his toughest task yet as the lone established pass rusher on the roster, but it is a challenge that he feels he was destined to overcome.
