Former Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts defensive end Yannick Ngakoue posted a one-emoji tweet after he signed with the Chicago Bears on Thursday.

Ngakoue signed a 1-year, $10.5 million contract with the Bears on Thursday night, adding a seven-year NFL veteran with 65 career sacks to Chicago's defensive line. The former third-round pick out of Maryland played in 110 career games and started in 102 for five franchises since the Jacksonville Jaguars first selected him with the 69th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. The former Pro Bowl defensive end was traded to the Colts in a 2022 deal that sent cornerback Rock Ya-Sin to the Las Vegas Raiders. He would play and start in 15 games for Indianapolis, earning 9.5 sacks, 29 combined tackles, 16 quarterback hits, eight tackles for loss and one forced fumble.

Chicago's defense earned 20 sacks during the 2022 season, putting them at 32nd in the NFL behind the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals, according to NFL.com. Its 52.2 Pro Football Focus pass rush ranking put it in dead last among NFL teams in the regular season behind the Falcons, Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Walker, Ngakoue, fourth-year lineman Trevis Gipson and former Houston Texans defensive end Rasheem Green make up some of the options under contract at defensive end for the Bears, according to sports salaries and contracts website Spotrac.

Chicago upped its defensive unit by signing linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards during the beginning days of the NFL's free agency period. Edmunds, a former two-time Pro Bowl linebacker from the Buffalo Bills, inked a four-year, $72 million contract with the Bears with $50 million guaranteed in March. The Bears added defensive end DeMarcus Walker in March and Rasheem Green in April. They selected Florida defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and South Carolina defensive lineman Zacch Pickens in the 2023 NFL Draft, adding players who could shore up the interior for the team's defense.