3 Former Bears Still Unemployed as OTAs Arrive

NFL teams are getting underway with their offseason programs, and there are still quite a few notable free agents out there on the open market. For the Chicago Bears, it could be an opportunity for a potential reunion or maybe a chance to simply monitor where some former players could end up playing in the 2024 season.

It seems pretty common in the NFC North these days for players to leave one team and go play for a division rival.

Which former Chicago Bears players remain available with OTAs getting underway? Let's take a look at a handful of notable names still out there.

1. Yannick Ngakoue, EDGE

There will always be a premium on pass rushers in the NFL, which is why it's at least a little surprising that someone like Yannick Ngakoue is still available this deep into the offseason. Ngakoue played 13 games for the Bears last season and racked up 7 QB hits, 4.0 sacks, 6.0 tackles for loss, and 22 total tackles.

As far as Ngakoue's career is concerned, those aren't the best numbers we've seen from him but he's still an effective pass rush specialist who should be able to help some team in 2024. Ngakoue just turned 29 in March, and over the course of his NFL career, he actually averaged 10 sacks per 17 games played. On top of that, he averaged 20 QB hits per 17 games played.

There were obviously some wildly productive years early in Ngakoue's career that contributed heavily to those averaged, but he can still get after the quarterback and he's not even 30 years old. He'll be signed before too long.