NEWSLETTER
The dust has settled from the NFL Draft. And now, the time has come to read into tweets from NFL free agents in an attempt to see if there is a potential match with our favorite team.
Given that lead-in, here’s the latest from Yannick Ngakoue — which had me raising my eyebrow:
What do you mean by this, Yannick?
For what it’s worth, Yannick Ngakoue tweeted “READY TO RUSH” on July 28, 2023 — It came two days after reports surfaced that he was showing interest in the Bears and seven days before officially signing with the team. So perhaps we should keep our heads on a swivel.
Should the Chicago Bears run it back with Yannick Ngakoue?
I wish there was a cut-and-dry answer to this question. If there was, I’d have cranked this post out in a matter of minutes. But there is no boiler-plate answer to this one. Maybe that is a good thing. At a minimum, any conversation about Yannick Ngakoue and the Bears should serve as a reminder to us that the offseason roster churn continues. Teams don’t stop tinkering just because the 2024 NFL Draft is in the books. The search to bulk up, round out, and bolster the 90-player rosters teams carry in the offseason simply doesn’t stop. And the Bears should be one of those teams on the hunt for help — especially along the defensive line.
Last year at this time, we were pounding the table for the Bears to bring in Yannick Ngakoue. And with good reason, too. This team didn’t have an impact defensive lineman on its roster. DeMarcus Walker and Andrew Billings were nice additions in free agency. Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens represented rookie draft picks with potential. But there wasn’t a defensive lineman whose presence made opposing offenses do a double-take when scouting Chicago’s defense. Ngakoue’s résumé (which included a Pro Bowl appearance and two seasons with 10+ sacks) showed the baseline of a high-floor player with a history of proven production. It made sense for the Bears to pursue (and eventually, sign) Ngakoue.
Unfortunately, Yannick Ngakoue didn’t play up to the lofty expectations that came with his résumé. And just when he started looking like the player that was advertised before the signing, an ankle injury shelved him after 13 games. If the Bears could get the player who looked like the Ngakoue of old when was playing opposite of Montez Sweat, then I can see a one-year pillow contract as something that makes sense for both sides. A “prove it” deal could showcase Ngakoue for next offseason’s free agency class while also buying the Bears some time to develop rookie fifth-round pick Austin Booker. There is win-win potential here if the price is right.
What about DeMarcus Walker starting opposite of Montez Sweat in 2024?
The Bears shouldn’t be banging the door down to bring in Ngakoue. To be clear, this isn’t to say that I’d outright reject the idea of bringing Yannick Ngakoue back into the fold. But I don’t think it should be a priority. And it certainly wouldn’t be the end of the world if he signed elsewhere — which is a credit to the roster Bears General Manager Ryan Poles has built.
For instance, I am comfortable with the idea of DeMarcus Walker starting at the other defensive end spot. Walker held down the fort while Ngakoue was out, putting up 2 sacks, 7 quarterback hits, and 4 tackles-for-loss in the season’s final four games while starting opposite of Sweat. If you’re the type who likes to extrapolate numbers in small samples, then you’d probably like to know what the per-17 game pace for Walker based on that stretch of games would look like. Well, I saved you the time and trouble:
If I could lock in that type of production without having to go into free agency to get it, then I’d do it in a heartbeat. For what it’s worth, Walker had 7 sacks, 10 TFLs, and 16 quarterback hits in his final season with the Tennessee Titans in 2022. Those numbers aren’t too far off from Ngakoue’s career per-season average of 8.6 sacks, 8.9 TFLs, and 17.8 QB Hits. Maybe there is something to be had there for the Bears and Walker as a stop-gap defensive end option.
With that being said, I’m still not opposed to bringing Yannick Ngakoue back. Players on one-year deals with something to prove often make for great stories to follow in a football season. I wouldn’t mind if the Bears had one of those stories worth following when training camp opens this summer.
