Every NFL team has had a couple months to self-scout their rosters through organized team activities and minicamp to figure out what areas could use improvement prior to training camps beginning at the end of July. The Chicago Bears, whose 20 sacks and 24.4% pressure rate both ranked dead last in the entire league, could still use some juice rushing the passer, according to head coach Matt Eberflus.
"Yeah, I think they're [the front office] always looking for all positions," Eberflus said on June 15. "You know I think that is one position we are looking at and potentially we could get that done."
The Bears signed 26-year-old defensive end Rasheem Green, who has 17.0 career sacks in five NFL seasons, to a one-year, $2.5 million contract after he spent last season with the Houston Texans. Green spent his first four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks from 2018-2021. Chicago also added soon-to-be 29-year-old defensive end and six-year NFL vet DeMarcus Walker, who has 19.5 career, in free agency. The former Denver Bronco (2017-2020), Houston Texan (2021), and Tennessee Titan (2022) signed a three-year, $21 million deal after recording a career-high seven sacks in 2022.
However, if the Bears truly go through the process of surveying which defensive ends and outside linebackers are left on the open market, their first call needs to go to one player: defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Ngakoue, who turned 28 in March, has recorded eight or more sacks in each of his first seven seasons, including 9.5 in 2022, his only season with the Indianapolis Colts. Those eight-sack seasons have come with the Jaguars (2016-2019), a season split between the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens (2020), the Las Vegas Raiders (2021), and the Colts (2022). Need sacks? They will follow Ngakoue wherever he goes.
Only four others have registered at least eight sacks in each of their first seven seasons since individual sacks have been recorded, since 1982: three Hall of Famers (DeMarcus Ware, Derrick Thomas, Reggie White) and Los Angeles Rams defensive Aaron Donald, a future Hall of Famer. Chicago has the budget to add him since it leads the NFL in cap space right now with $32.1 million to spend, per OverTheCap.
Players with 8+ sacks in each of first seven seasons of career:
| PLAYER | SEASONS |
|---|---|
Yannick Ngakoue | 2016-2022 |
Aaron Donald | 2014-2020 |
DeMarcus Ware* | 2005-2011 |
Derrick Thomas* | 1989-1995 |
Reggie White* | 1985-1991 |
* Pro Football Hall of Famer
If not Ngakoue, there's a number of aging, former Pro Bowl edge rushers to chose from in Jason Pierre-Paul (34 years old, three-time Pro Bowl selection), Carlos Dunlap (34 years old, two-time Pro Bowl selection), Jadeveon Clowney (30 years old, three-time Pro Bowl selection), Melvin Ingram (34 years old, three-time Pro Bowl selection), Justin Houston (34 years old, four-time Pro Bowl selection) and Robert Quinn (33 years old, three-time Pro Bowl selection). Players like this will likely look to sign right before training camp at the end of July in order to go through whatever offseason training they would like without being obligated to show up to team facilities before then.
Pro Bowl pass rusher free agents, age 30 & Up
| Player (2022 Team) | Current Age | Games Played | Sacks | QB Pressures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Justin Houston (BAL) | 34 | 14 | 9.5 | 39 |
Melvin Ingram (MIA) | 34 | 17 | 6.0 | 35 |
Carlos Dunlap (KC) | 34 | 17 | 4.0 | 32 |
Jason Pierre-Paul (BAL) | 34 | 14 | 3.0 | 21 |
Jadeveon Clowney (CLE) | 30 | 12 | 2.0 | 29 |
Robert Quinn (PHI) | 33 | 13 | 1.0 | 24 |