Recall the beginning of the offseason, either before free agency or the combine, when Matt Eberflus gave a press conference addressing the team’s primary requirements.

Pass rushers are undoubtedly among them, according to Eberflus. “We need to make sure we have a person in opposing position to Sweat.

“We can never have enough of those guys because they affect the game the most.”

In essence, he brought up the subject as soon as someone asked about needs, and their entire endeavor has resulted in the signing of Jake Martin, a player who is now on his sixth squad in seven years. With 18 career sacks, 15 of which were starts, he has never finished a season with more than four sacks.

That being said, there may be a valid argument against selecting a wide receiver at No. 9 overall if the Bears require instant pass rush support to offset the edge that Montez Sweat offers.

On the other hand, it might be a good idea to select a receiver like Rome Odunze in the draft and look elsewhere for pass rush support.

If so, best of luck with the quality.

Overthecap.com indicates that the Bears have just $10.7 million in effective cap space. Any pass rusher they sign today as a free agent must unquestionably have a modest salary. Still, in a picked-over market, that’s all they’re going to find left.

The Bears have a good chance of hitting the target if they select a player ninth in the draft with the intention of having him help Sweat right away this season. It does not, however, imply that they will see a comeback this season.

They have virtually little chance of hitting their target this year if they wait, choose a receiver at No. 9, and attempt in Rounds 3 or 4 for the pass rush help, but they would have a chance of someone improving in subsequent years, according to NFL draft history.

Last season, just five rookies totaled more than 4 1/2 sacks, yet the Bears’ seasoned defensive end DeMarcus Walker gave them that many sacks nevertheless. With Sweat playing for the entire season, they might see more from Walker this year.

They would aim for at least 4 1/2 sacks if they were to commit their ninth draft choice to the edge position.

Only Will Anderson (7), Byron Young (8), and YaYa Diaby (7 1/2) were edge rushers out of the five that completed the feat in 2023. Jalen Carter, age six, and Kobie Turner, age nine, were the other two.

Situations like these are not unusual. It usually takes a rookie pass rusher their first year to mature. The draft class of 2022 was a prime illustration.

After falling short of that threshold as rookies, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Travon Walker, Boye Mafe, Jermaine Johnson II, Nik Bonitto, Arnold Ebiketie, Devonte Wyatt, Terrel Bernard, and Alex Wright all rose to the occasion in Year 2 to deliver 4 1/2 sacks or more.

You never know when you might strike it fortunate, as the Lions did when they selected James Houston in Round 5 of 2022. He was a rookie and has eight sacks. He had none last year after getting hurt. Still, Houston is truly an exception.

What options are left to the Bears if they have to wait for an instant infusion of sack potential from free agency?

Yannick Ngakoue, a free agent, may be their greatest remaining advantage. Last season, he cost them $10.4 million, didn’t perform as well as they had intended, and fractured his ankle after playing in 13 games with four sacks. He wasn’t going to escape a career-low in sacks unless he had recorded a sack per game over the previous four games.

Since Matt Eberflus prefers defensive ends to be big and rangy in his scheme, Ngakoue never suited the Bears’ needs for an edge.

Ngakoue is not a large enough 6-4, 265-pound player who is interested in stopping the run other than rushing the quarterback at 6-foot-2, 246 pounds. With the proper squad and the right defense, he is a sack hunter, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Though the Bears are neither of those, they could at least save themselves the trouble of having to teach Ngakoue the defensive scheme anew during training camp if they did decide to bring him back.

It’s also questionable if they could genuinely persuade him to accept less money than he earned the previous year, when he was 28. They lack the funds for a one-year, $10.4 million deal like they did last year.

Jets’ edge Even though Carl Lawson is only 28 years old, he had a poor season the year after undergoing Achilles surgery in 2022.

With 42 1/2 sacks in eight years and 41 tackles for loss, Dolphins defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah, who is 6-4 and 275 pounds, is a better match for the Bears style as an end. He also competed for just $4 million the previous year.

There is also Michael Danna of Kansas City, who Spotrac.com first estimated to be worth $16.7 million annually but will almost definitely make considerably less given he hasn’t been signed for this long. Although he has been on the increase, his two seasons of 5.5 and 6.0 sacks are still well short of what well-paid edge rushers can anticipate, especially for a 26-year-old.

The Bears may decide that bringing back Ngakoue best suits their goals, depending on the cost.

Similar to the previous year, they would want to wait and see what the draft delivers, so it would be a very late signing.

Due to the unpredictability of young pass rushers, the Bears may need to turn to a familiar face in order to acquire assistance for Sweat in 2024 if they select Odunze or another receiver at No. 9. This might happen even if they allocate their final two picks to the defensive line.