The Cleveland Browns Should Sign This Former Pro Bowl Pass Rusher

Yannick Ngakoue is somehow still available in free agency, and the Browns should take advantage.

Oct 5, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Chicago Bears defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) reacts after the game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns already boast one of the NFL's best pass rushes, as they accumulated a grand total of 49 sacks in 2023.

However, much of that was due to Myles Garrett, who racked up 14 sacks en route to winning the Defensive Player of the Year award.

The Browns' next-highest sack-getter was Za'Darius Smith, who logged 5.5. Alex Wright finished with five.

Cleveland re-signed Smith, and many are expecting Wright to take a big jump after a solid sophomore campaign. That being said, there is little doubt that the Browns could use a sack specialist to take some pressure off of Garrett, who saw rampant double teams during the back half of last season.

Enter Yannick Ngakoue, who is still available in free agency.

The fact that Ngakoue remains unsigned is a mystery. Yes, he had a rather down year with the Chicago Bears in 2023, finishing with 22 tackles and four sacks in 13 games, but this is someone who had previously never posted any less than eight sacks in a single season since entering the NFL in 2016.

As a matter of fact, Ngakoue is just two seasons removed from rattling off 9.5 sacks with the Indianapolis Colts, and he has recorded double-digit sacks twice. He achieved that feat as recently as 2021, when he tallied 10 sakcs as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Ngakoue is most known for his four-year tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he made the Pro Bowl in 2017 after registering 30 tackles, 12 sacks and six forced fumbles.

The 29-year-old has been one of the NFL's most steady and prolific pass rushers for the better part of the last decade, and it's not like he's old. He doesn't even turn 30 until next March.

Is the pass rush a pressing need for the Browns? Not really, but there is no question that Garrett could use some more help, and Garrett's mere presence along the line could open up a specialist like Ngakoue for a monster campaign.