In the spirit of Thanksgiving, it is easy for every fanbase to find things to be grateful for. However, when you are sitting at 3-8, it is probably because there are a couple of turkeys on the roster. Who are those players that are just sitting there and not doing all that much?
4. Yannick Ngakoue has been a letdown for the Chicago Bears
When the Chicago Bears signed Yannick Ngakoue, he was supposed to be the team's top pass rusher. Needless to say, the addition of Ngakoue gave the Bears more urgency to trade for Montez Sweat. Maybe the signing was good after all.
Ngakoue has never had a season with under eight sacks. You definitely heard that before. Through 11 games, he has three sacks, so he is on pace for about five right now, or maybe 4.5. That is well below his career-average.
Worse than that, it is not like he is getting unlucky; he is flat-out bad. Among pass rushers with at least 50% of their snaps played, Ngakoue ranks 48th out of 95 in total pressures. His stats are always a bit inflated, and even in a down year, that is true. He ranks 92nd out of 95 in pass rush win rate and ranks 82 in pass rush productivity. So, even when he is getting pressure, it is not high-impact, and it is not a high number for how many snaps he plays.
Ngakoue has always been a poor run defender, and we have seen missed tackles this year as well. After the season, we will Ngakoue be a free agent deep into the summer, just like this year. A new team will sign him and think they found something, and he will be a free agent and on a new team in 2025 as well. That is the life for Ngakoue. The Bears experienced it, and now they will be moving on soon.