Bears could aid biggest need with one easy free agency reunion

Time out for trivia. Which franchise owns the NFL record for most sacks in a season? One year before Mike Ditka’s Chicago Bears captured Super Bowl XX in 1985, the club came up with an incredible 72 sacks in 1984.

Current Bears’ head coach Matt Eberflus and new defensive coordinator Eric Washington, a member of the organization more than a decade ago (2008-10), could certainly use some of that Richard Dent, Otis Wilson, and Wilber Marshall 1984 magic. The Bears’ pass rush has been a big-time issue in recent seasons and still needs some work.

A familiar face could help a deficient pass rush for the Chicago Bears

In 2021, Chicago finished fourth in the league with 49 sacks. In the past two seasons, Ebeflus’ squad has totaled 50 quarterback traps in 34 contests. The team was dead last in the league in 2022 with 20 sacks. This past season, only the Carolina Panthers (27) dropped opposing quarterbacks less often than the Bears (30).

How big of an issue? Bears’ general manager Ryan Poles obtained Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders. He played in only nine games with his new team and still managed to lead Chicago with six sacks. With that lack of consistent pressure on opposing signal-callers, it’s little wonder that the Bears gave up 31 touchdown passes this past season.

Behind Sweat in terms of sacks was defensive tackle Justin Jones (4.5), who signed with the Arizona Cardinals this offseason. Third on the Bears was well-traveled edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue (4.0 sacks in 13 games), who remains an unrestricted free agent. The eight-year veteran has totaled 69.0 sacks and 21 forced fumbles with six different teams.

Poles did use a fifth-round pick in April on defensive end Austin Booker, who totaled eight sacks in 12 games with the Kansas Jayhawks in 2023. The proven Ngakoue just turned 29 years old in late March, and a second straight season with the same team (which hasn’t happened since his first 4 seasons with the Jaguars) could be highly beneficial to a team that has already significantly upgraded its offense.