Yannick Ngakoue vs. Justin Houston: Who should the Chicago Bears sign?

Rejoice, Chicago Bears faithful! After what seemed like an eternity, the 2023 NFL Season has finally arrived.

Week 1 of training camp has wrapped up and so far, the results are extremely promising. Justin Fields is continuing to build a rapport with his new weapons while new linebacker and athletic phenom Tremaine Edmunds is picking off P.J. Walker to the delight of his teammates.

I know I speak for all of Bears Nation when I say how amazing it is to finally be excited about the Chicago Bears again.

However, there still seems to be a missing piece in the eyes of those who follow the Chicago Bears. After not addressing the EDGE position in the 2023 NFL Draft, adding one in free agency seemed to be inevitable.

The Chicago Bears could definitely use another good edge-rusher.

With Ryan Poles choosing to be patient despite their abundance of cap room, Bears fans have driven themselves mad with speculation. Then, over this past week, rumors began to swirl with the Chicago Bears being linked to two free agents at EDGE.

Yannick Ngakoue and Justin Houston have emerged as the most likely signees at EDGE but one of them is a much better fit for the Chicago Bears.

We’ll start with 28-year-old defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Ngakoue’s career is a curious case as he’s played with five different teams in his seven-year career.

Despite being known as a pass-rushing specialist with 63 combined pressures and 19.5 sacks in his last two seasons, he’s been unable to stick on a roster, a red flag for many.

On the other hand, Justin Houston is 34 years old and has played most of his career as a 3-4 outside linebacker, except when he played defensive end for Chicago Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus in 2019 and 2020.

Although long in the tooth, his familiarity with Eberflus’ scheme and the ‘HITS’ principle makes him an appealing plug-and-play option.

The Kansas City Chiefs thought well enough of Justin Houston’s character and production to keep him on their roster for the first eight years of his career.

After making the switch to defensive end for the Colts under Matt Eberflus, Houston posted 53 combined pressures and 19 sacks before heading to Baltimore to play outside linebacker again.

However, when delving deeper into Justin Houston’s recent production with Baltimore and comparing it to the recent production of Yannick Ngakoue, it becomes clear that there should be no debate. The right fit is clear.

Yannick Ngakoue is the obvious choice for the Chicago Bears because of his production, his age, and his fit on the roster.

Ngakoue is exactly what the Chicago Bears need which is a pure pass-rushing specialist. He has never had less than eight sacks in a season and is a natural defensive end who is still in his athletic prime.

The knowledge and experience that a natural defensive end like Ngakoue could bring to the Chicago Bears defensive line would be invaluable for players such as Dominique Robinson and training camp standout Terrell Lewis.

Furthermore, while Justin Houston has had an incredible career, it’s impossible to overlook his age, even on a one-year deal. At 34 years old, Houston is ancient for an NFL defensive end. He’s only two years younger than the oldest defensive end in the entire league, Calais Campbell.

Although teams don’t seem keen to keep Ngakoue around long-term, there is no need for the Bears to worry about that.

He just needs to keep being a sack machine. Ryan Poles is infamous for his one-year rentals. Ngakoue is the perfect candidate for a repeat performance from the General Manager.

The man himself has already said it all when it comes to providing what the Chicago Bears need:

The Chicago Bears are primed to be a dark horse this season but with Yannick Ngakoue on board to make life tough on opposing quarterbacks, this team could make a serious push for the playoffs in a weak NFC. Ngakoue would enjoy punishing his former team this summer as well.

One thing is for certain: Chicago is ready to Bear Down.