Ryan Poles insisted for weeks that the Chicago Bears were active on the pass rusher market. It was only a matter of finding the right deal. While it took until a week into training camp, things finally came together. The Bears locked up veteran Yannick Ngakoue to a one-year deal worth $10.5 million. It’s a great move for both sides. Ngakoue gets a hefty $10 million guaranteed and plays in a defense he has experience in. Chicago gets the sorely-needed speed rusher they’ve lacked without any long-term commitments.
When asked about it during his latest press conference, Poles actually began by telling a story. He gave a shoutout to Bears fans for their passion and unrelenting message to find pass rush help. The GM literally couldn’t get away from it.
It was another example of Poles getting educated on how invested Bears fans are in this team. They know where the weaknesses are. People might be overzealous, but they’re not stupid. It is why they give GMs more attention than he was ready for. They know where the true power is and will show respect or ridicule depending on his decisions.
Ryan Poles understood why Ngakoue was needed.
The Bears had 20 sacks last year, by far the worst in the NFL. Adding DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green was fine but didn’t completely solve the problem. Somebody with a legitimate track record of QB hunting was needed. Ngakoue has 65 sacks in his career, one of the most productive in the NFL over the past seven seasons. He’s still only 28 years old too. Poles sees a high-quality pass rusher that can give them production, along with the ability to educate younger guys like Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson on how to expand their arsenals.
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Ryan Poles feels his team has built a young, intriguing defensive unit. The secondary might be among the most balanced in the NFL if Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon take steps forward. Rookie Tyrique Stevenson looks promising. Concurrently, the linebackers have also improved with Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards. Gervon Dexter and Andrew Billings have bolstered the defensive tackle spot. Only pass rusher remained unaccounted for. Not anymore. Ngakoue gives them the credibility they were missing.
