The Chicago Bears have finally made an attempt to improve their pass rush for the 2024 season by signing veteran defensive end Jacob Martin to a one-year contract.
Martin is a 28-year-old pass rusher with 18 career sacks while mostly serving as a rotational player for the majority of his six-season career. He started 14 games for the Houston Texans in 2021, recording career highs in sacks (four), tackles for loss (five), total tackles (23), forced fumbles (two), and pass deflections (three).
While Martin was a backup for the Indianapolis Colts, he has a career total of 85 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 16 tackles for loss, and seven forced fumbles. The Bears formally announced Martin’s signing on Saturday, March 16.
Martin is a depth addition for the Bears, but he might be an important part of the rotation in 2024, depending on how the team fills out its defensive trenches. They now have Montez Sweat as their top pass rusher and may add a high-end rookie to supplement him in the 2024 NFL draft, but Martin should battle with DeMarcus Walker and Dominique Robinson in training camp if he remains on the roster.
The Bears have signed nine free agents to contracts since the start of the 2024 league year on March 13, but Martin is their first defensive line addition.
The Keenan Allen trade may mean an edge for the No. 9 pick.
The Bears are almost guaranteed to choose a quarterback with the first overall choice in the draft after trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday. They may have also hinted at their ambitions for their other first-round pick — No. 9 overall — after executing a blockbuster trade to acquire six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen on March 14.
The Bears now have a scary receiver combo in Allen and superstar DJ Moore, but their daring move for Allen may imply that they are less interested in trying to acquire one of the best receivers in the 2024 rookie class with their ninth choice. If that’s the case, it makes a lot of sense for the Bears to take one of the top pass rushers with the No. 9 pick and locate a dynamic and affordable teammate for Sweat.
Dallas Turner of Alabama may be a great match for them, with elite pass-rushing abilities and high-end speed that complement Sweat’s skill set. Turner ran a 4.46-second 40-yard sprint at the 2024 NFL Combine and recorded 10 sacks in 2023, making the most of his opportunity to replace Will Anderson Jr. for the Crimson Tide.
There’s also something to appreciate about Florida State’s Jared Verse and UCLA’s Laiatu Latu. Latu lost two seasons due to a 2020 neck injury that raised worries among NFL evaluators, so the Bears may be hesitant to draft him, but Verse is likely the most well-rounded pass rusher in the class. Any of the three would be a prize at position nine.
