Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has been active in bolstering his team’s front seven during the offseason, and he may not be done just yet in completing such moves ahead of the 2023 season.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was asked whether the team has any plans to turn to the free agent market to once again bring in pass-rushing reinforcements. Eberflus left the door open to this possibility.

“We’re interested in a lot of free agents, we’re interested in a lot of guys at all positions right now,” Eberflus said. “We’re just excited about being able to look at those guys and potentially add as we go through camp and getting closer to the season.”

Poles was quite assertive in bringing in defensive linemen during the opening weeks of this year’s free agency period. For one, he reached an agreement on a three-year, $21 million deal with DeMarcus Walker. The veteran defensive lineman is just coming off of a productive 2022 season with the Tennessee Titans in which he recorded career highs across the board, including in sacks (7.0).

Poles then turned his attention to the 2023 NFL Draft to continue to strengthen the depth within his team’s front seven. He drafted three such players, including former Florida defensive tackle Gervon Dexter.

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Poles aimed to fill several needs on this side of the ball in the ongoing offseason.

“We want to take a big step there,” Poles said in April. “We’ve done that in free agency, and then we’ve done that in the draft, too. So we get a corner who can come in and compete for a spot on the outside, and then you get those big guys inside to really be in the heavy rotation with Billings and Justin [Jones], who will be really good leaders for those guys too, be able to show them the way.

“In this league, in terms of the defensive line, you’ve got to have really two waves. So we’ve been able to start that inside.”

In the big picture, multiple notable defensive linemen are still without a contract in free agency, including Frank Clark.