Yannick Ngakoue is already teaching Chicago Bears’ youngsters his signature move

LAKE FOREST – New Bears defensive end Yannick Ngakoue already was spotted last week teaching rookie defensive tackle Gervon Dexter his signature move.

Defensive linemen across the NFL admire Ngakoue for his cross chop, a move where he swats an offensive lineman’s arm out of the way. Ngakoue has made a living from that move.

After one training camp practice last week at Halas Hall, Ngakoue and Dexter stayed on the field after things wrapped up and worked on the move. Bringing in a free agent pass rusher such as Ngakoue does so much more than provide sacks. Ngakoue can do that, of course – he has had at least eight sacks in every one of his seven NFL seasons.

But he also brings a level of experience and knowledge that this young Bears roster can learn from.

“Just working on hand and eye coordination,” Ngakoue said of working with Dexter. “Just basically working on our steps, and he was just asking me, ‘How did I perfect that move, and what do I see when I’m throwing that move?’ I was just giving him some nuggets.”

Ngakoue said the secret to the move is simply repetition, repetition, repetition. He believes the move can be as valuable for defensive tackles as for edge rushers. He noted that Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald has one of the best cross chops in the NFL.

Ngakoue sees “a lot of potential” in Dexter, a second-round pick in April’s draft.

“I see a lot of myself in him, as well,” Ngakoue said. “His first step is quick. He’s a young guy, and I feel like he can be a Day 1 guy that can just affect the quarterback, affect the run game. So I just wanted to share my knowledge with him, and you can always learn stuff from the young guys, as well.”

The Bears signed Ngakoue to a one-year, $10.5 million contract on Aug. 4. For a Bears defense that totaled only 20 sacks in 17 games last year, the pass rush needed a boost. Although he might not be their long-term solution at edge rusher, Ngakoue should give this team results in 2023.

Ngakoue has been working his way into practice slowly since arriving in Lake Forest. He did not participate in Saturday’s preseason win over the Titans. With an experienced veteran like him, the Bears don’t necessarily need to see him in a preseason game. Ngakoue echoed that, saying he treats every practice rep like a game rep anyway.

“He’s been dong well,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “He’s been picking up the scheme well, like we talked about when we first came. It’s not a big stretch in terms of the scheme difference. He’s been in [the scheme] the last few stops that he had, so it’s been pretty easy for him.”

“I see a lot of myself in [Gervon Dexter] as well. His first step is quick. He’s a young guy and I feel like he can be a day one guy that can just affect the quarterback, affect the run game.”

—  Yannick Ngakoue, Bears defensive end

The expectation is that Ngakoue will step in and make a difference right away.

“That’s why he’s here,” defensive tackle Andrew Billings said. “He’s here to set the edge, rush the passer. That’s it. And that’s what he does.”

Even without Ngakoue playing in Saturday’s preseason game, the Bears’ defense totaled eight sacks against the Titans. That was almost half of what they recorded all of last season.

Ngakoue believes a performance like that, even in the preseason, can provide a boost.

“I just feel like that’s great tape to watch, especially when we start the season and that adversity hits, just to see how we were rolling in the beginning of the season,” Ngakoue said. “We need to remember what kind of group we are.”

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