The Chicago Bears have made several successful free agent signings in their long history. Akiem Hicks was arguably the most recent. Gary Fencik and Steve McMichael are two great examples, but that was before free agency was a real thing. If one were to ask who the best signing they ever made was, plenty of people would say Julius Peppers. Head coach Lovie Smith spearheaded the effort to land the All-Pro defensive end in 2010. His arrival heralded a massive defensive turnaround, including top 10 finishes in 2010 and 2012. The Bears also reached the NFC championship that first year.
He had 37.5 sacks during his four seasons in Chicago, not to mention ten forced fumbles and three interceptions. The Bears couldn't find anybody close to his ability until the Khalil Mack trade four years after he left. Now they have again with Yannick Ngakoue. What's that I hear you shouting at the screen? There is no way Ngakoue is in the same class as Peppers. Tell that to former Bears defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. He coached both, and he thinks the team's newest pass rusher is every bit as dangerous as Peppers was.
He explained why to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
“If you look at Julius and the size, you are shocked at the speed and how fast he runs and moves,” Marinelli said. “If you look at Yannick, you are going to be shocked at his power. It’s the same combination, it’s just opposite.”...
....“Yannick’s power out of his stance and up the field, he can turn that into a power rush in a second because these offensive tackles are bailing on him due to the speed,” Marinelli said. “The offensive tackles with Julius had to brace themselves because they had 6-7, 295 pounds coming at them, and then — pfft! — he was right around the corner.
“It’s just the opposite with Ngakoue. Your sets better be right or he’s going to go right around you. He is fast. His get-off is really something.”
Ngakoue is on Julius Peppers' tier based solely on numbers.
Yes, he's not the physical specimen the future Hall of Famer was. He can't defend the run or drop into coverage like Peppers could. However, when it comes to hunting the quarterback, Ngakoue is a match. Peppers had 70.5 sacks through his first seven seasons in the NFL. Ngakoue has 65. He only needs four more seasons to cross the 100-sack barrier at his current pace. He would be 32 years old, only one year older than when Peppers did it. So what Marinelli said isn't crazy. The Bears have landed a pass rusher with the same toolbox as one of the best to ever play for the franchise.
If that holds, the Bears defense is in a far better spot than it was last season. Their entire defensive line managed only ten sacks. Ngakoue had 9.5 by himself. It's not a coincidence the Colts defense improved from 19th to 11th against the pass last season. Much of it came from the pass rush, which had 44 sacks after managing only 33 the year before. Julius Peppers had the same impact when he got to Chicago. The fact the Bears got Ngakoue for only $10 million may go down as one of their biggest steals in years.
