WESTFIELD, In. -- Yannick Ngakoue's presence is already being felt by the Bears, even if the veteran edge rusher hasn't done much on the field during training camp.
Ngakoue is on a ramp-up plan after signing with the Bears on Aug. 3. The 28-year-old has taken just a handful of reps during team drills in practice, but he has been on the sidelines giving advice and pointers to the likes of Gervon Dexter, Rasheem Green, Justin Jones, and Terrell Lewis.
Ngakoue upped his rep count a touch Wednesday during the first day of joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, Indiana.
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While the Bears haven't turned Ngakoue loose fully, that hasn't stopped them from thinking about how they plan to deploy him in head coach Matt Eberflus and defensive coordinator Alan Williams' system.
Just the opposite.
“Yeah, we’re developing that now," Williams said Wednesday when asked if he had a plan for using Ngakoue. "We had an idea when he came in, what we wanted to do with him, so we’re going back and forth to see what he can do, which we have an idea and how he fits in the system and where we can put him to maximize what he does, so we’ve got a good idea, I’m just not going to tell you just yet. You got to wait and see. But, no, I think you’re going to like what you see from him.”
Williams said Ngakoue is "champing at the bit" to be full-go during team drills, but the Bears want to let him continue to build up to that moment.
Ngakoue already has experience in the defensive system the Bears' run from his time playing for defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli and current Bears defensive line coach Travis Smith in Las Vegas.
The Bears believe the transition won't be much of a transition at all for Ngakoue.
"I think he fits really well," Eberflus said when the Bears signed Ngakoue. "He was with Marinelli in Vegas, which was cool, and Travis. So he was in that same type of scheme there. He was with Gus [Bradley] last year — same type of scheme, four down in front. Getting vertical on the edges. So it’s really the same type. It’s not gonna be a stretch for him. He fits really well, so we’re excited about that. And we had some intel on him. Obviously, what kind of teammate he is. What kind of person he is. What kind of worker he is. And he checked all the boxes there for us. He’s gonna be a good addition."
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With Ngakoue ramping up and several key defensive starters, including linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and safety Jaquan Brisker, missing time, the Bears' defense has yet to get a feel for how good it can be.
But they have an idea.
“Sky is the limit with this group I feel like," Jones told NBC Sports Chicago after the Bears' first preseason game. "We got some scary, scary f---ing guys. And I feel like everybody is on the same page, everybody is really genuine, and everybody really wants to see each other win. I feel like that’s going to be the glue. We go as our defense goes, and I feel like we’re on the right track, especially once we get everyone back. It’s going to be scary.”