Chicago Bears: Ranking edge rushing duos in NFC North
By Usayd Koshul
The Chicago Bears have Khalil Mack but how would one rank the edge-rushing duos in the NFC North?
If you ask any Chicago Bears fan about who’s got the best edge-rushing duo in the NFC North, odds are that they’ll tell you that the Bears do because of the presence of Khalil Mack. However, outside of Mack and the Bears is where the picture starts to get a little cloudy.
Minnesota Vikings fans will tell you that they’ve got the best duo featuring Danielle Hunter and Yannick Ngakoue. Green Bay Packers fans will tell you that they’ve got the best duo featuring Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith. Meanwhile, Detroit Lions fans will make a case for their team being the best in the NFC North, despite knowing their team isn’t.
This offseason, two NFC North teams made moves to bolster their pass rush. The Bears added Robert Quinn in free agency by paying him a five-year deal with $70 million dollars. Quinn will join Mack and look to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks.
With the Vikings acquiring Ngakoue on Sunday morning, there are some clear discussions to be had about who’s really got the best duo. Ngakoue, who’s got 37.5 sacks over the last four seasons has risen from being a third-round pick to a stud pass rusher who’s just beginning to enter the prime of his career.
Meanwhile, the Packers didn’t add anyone to the pass rusher, while the Lions added Notre Dame’s Julian Okwara with the 67th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Detroit also features 2019 free-agent signee Trey Flowers, who’s entering the second-year of a five-year deal signed last offseason.
With the NFC North loaded with pass rushers, how do each of the duo’s rank? Let’s rank all four and find out.