Will the Chicago Bears continue to reduce the number of snaps this player receives?
One of this season's major letdowns has undoubtedly been Yannick Ngakoue. Concerns about the type of player he is lingered, which is why he remained a free agent for an extended period during the offseason. Despite this, he consistently managed to accumulate stats in the past, mitigating some of his subpar performances on the field.
However, this year, his performance has been consistently lackluster. Yannick Ngakoue has only recorded three sacks, a significant drop from his career-low of eight. With 12 games played and five remaining, it's doubtful he'll reach that mark.
In terms of pass rushing, Ngakoue has struggled immensely, boasting a mere 4.5% pass rush win rate. For context, Montez Sweat stands at 14.4%, even with a 16% win rate since joining the Bears. DeMarcus Walker has an impressive 10.8% win rate, which has recently seen substantial improvement. Even Rasheem Green, with a 7.2% win rate, appears relatively acceptable.
In 2020 and 2021, Ngakoue's win rates were 10.1% and 10.7%, respectively. However, in 2022, it plummeted to 7.1%, signaling a significant decline in his performance. Beyond being the weakest pass rusher, he also ranks as the poorest run defender. While expectations were never high for his run defense, the hope was that his pass-rushing abilities would compensate. Regrettably, that hasn't been the case.
The Chicago Bears acquired Montez Sweat, hoping to revitalize Ngakoue's play. While Sweat has contributed with one sack, his win rate has dwindled from 5.3% to a mere 2.7% in the past four weeks, making matters worse.
Given these underwhelming performances, it's no surprise that the Chicago Bears are gradually reducing Ngakoue's playing time. He hit a season-low of 52.7% of snaps played before the bye week, with his previous low at 62.3% in week three.
