Giants Named Fit For Intriguing Veteran Free Agent Pass Rusher

The New York Giants are in desperate need of some help with their pass rush, as they amassed a grand total of 34 sacks this past season.

Fortunately, the Giants are set to have ample cap space going into the offseason, so they should be able to address the problem.

Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus thinks New York should target Chicago Bears edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue.

Ngakoue is coming off of a fairly quiet 2023 campaign in which he played 13 games and logged 22 tackles and four sacks. However, he has shown he can be a terrific pass rusher in the past.

The 28-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Maryland, was originally selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

He enjoyed an impressive rookie year, registering 23 tackles, eight sacks and four forced fumbles. Then, the following season, Ngakoue broke out, racking up 30 tackles, 12 sacks, six forced fumbles and a couple of fumble recoveries en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.

Ngakoue spent the first four seasons of his career with the Jaguars, and while he never achieved double-digit sacks again during his tenure there, he reached 9.5 sacks in his third season and eight sacks in his final year with the club.

The Washington, D.C. native then split 2020 between the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens, finishing with 23 tackles and eight sacks.

Since then, Ngakoue has played for a different team every year. He linked up with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021, where he rattled off 28 tackles and 10 sacks. He then totaled 29 tackles and 9.5 sacks with the Indianapolis Colts two years ago before joining the Bears.

Ngakoue could represent a low-risk, potentially high-reward option for a Giants team that badly needs to put another pass rusher alongside of Kayvon Thibodeaux.