The Cincinnati Bengals might have had some talented players on the defensive side of the ball but they finished with the fourth-fewest sacks in the league this past season, according to ESPN. That's why adding a premier pass-rusher in free agency needs to be on the agenda and Yannick Ngakoue needs to be the guy they home in on.
Ngakoue, a third-round pick by the Jaguars in 2016, has bounced around the league since departing from Jacksonville following the 2019 season. He's had short stints with the Vikings, Ravens, Raiders, and Colts and hasn't been able to find a longer residency with any of those teams.
Now he's hitting free agency again and the Bengals need to do what it takes to sign the pass-rushing phenom.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report even listed Ngakoue as the Bengals' dream free-agent target.
"He does know how to get after the quarterback, though. He's never had fewer than eight sacks in a season, and he's posted 19.5 sacks over the last two years. That's a nice pickup for a team that posted just 30 sacks last season. Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard are good starting edge defenders, but more depth and versatility will be needed to take down teams like the Chiefs and Bills in the playoffs."Alex Ballentine
Yannick Ngakoue would make the Bengals defense even scarier.
Even with names like Trey Hendrickson, B.J. Hill, and Sam Hubbard, the Bengals defense was only able to amass 30 sacks in 2022. Just imagine how differently things might have gone for them this past season had their pass rush been a smidge better.
Adding Ngakoue to an already stacked group would give Cincinnati the edge over teams like the Chiefs, Bills, and Jaguars when playoff season rolls around. Who knows how differently the AFC title game might have gone had the Bengals had someone like Ngakoue as part of their arsenal of defensive weapons.
This is a move that needs to be made to help ensure the Bengals not only get back to the AFC Championship Game but to help them finally get over the Super Bowl hump.