Bears eyeing Dennis Allen as defensive coordinator |
Now that Ben Johnson has been hired, closing out the Bears search for their next Head Coach, it's time for him to start putting together his staff. As is the case so often, especially when it comes to a first-year head coach, they will only be as good as their assistants.
The better the assistants, the more likely it will be that they have instant success, which is what every Chicago Bears fan is hoping for from Johnson. According to reports, Johnson is not only looking to build up a strong staff but also one of the best staff members in the game, as plenty of big-name coaches are eager to come to Chicago. That has to be refreshing to hear when you consider what the Bears and their fans have gone through lately, and it will be interesting to see the type of staff Johnson can put together. According to Adam Schefter, not only does Johnson appear to have his first assistant lined up, but he is also one of the most respected defensive coordinators in the game today, as Dennis Allen is moving closer to becoming the Bears DC. The former Raiders and Saints head coach, Allen, has over two decades of NFL experience, most of which comes as a defensive coordinator. After a promising 2-0 start out of the gate this season, Allen would go on to lose seven consecutive games, which ultimately led to him being fired midseason. Looking back at his tenure with the Raiders before the Saints, Allen has proven to be another one of those coordinators who couldn't cut it as a coach, compiling a 26-53 record. Some coaches aren't meant to be head coaches, and Allen is one of those coaches who thrives as an assistant. Even if he hasn't had much success as a head coach, he did lead the Saints to a 9-8 record in 2023, and putting some assistants around a first-year head coach that have been there and done that is always a great idea. What Allen may lack as a head coach, he makes up for as a defensive coach where he has consistently been one of the better defensive coordinators around the league. Whether it be his aggressive style that leads to plenty of blitzes or the ability to turn teams over, Allen's scheme has worked at every stop, and should he land with the Bears, Chicago would be hoping for the same. From a schematical sense, Allen is primarily a 4-3 guy, which would allow the Bears to keep a lot of their same personnel on the defensive side. In an era where many teams are going with more of a 3-4 approach, even some hybrid defensive styles, Allen continues to get great results, and it has become a case of why not fix what isn't broken? Allen isn't broken as a defensive coordinator, so any team that brings him in should consider themselves fortunate. Looking at his most recent season as a defensive coordinator, which came with the Saints in 2022, you will see that Allen and his defense ranked ninth-fewest points and fifth-fewest yards. After taking over as head coach in 2023, the defense continued to play well, ranking 8th in points and 13th in yardage. Those are ideal numbers for any team, but for a team looking to take the next step, it would be essential for the Bears to post those numbers. Allen has been around the game for a long time, but his longest stop was with the Saints, where he worked under Sean Payton's staff from 2015-2023. In those nine seasons, Allen’s Saints teams had seven seasons in which they ranked in the top half of the league in scoring defense (including five top-10 finishes), six years where they finished in the top half in yards allowed (including three top-10 finishes), and five seasons in which the group finished in the top-10 in takeaways. That alone is a big enough track record of positive results to make hiring like this worthwhile for any coach, let alone a first-time head coach. It would be a massive move for the organization if the Bears bring in a guy like Allen to lead this defense. That may be just the beginning, as the Bears were given permission to spend big on a head coach, which they did on Johnson, but they have also been reportedly given permission to spend a ton of money on his staff. Allen won't come cheap to bring him in, but it would be an expense worthwhile. Buckle up for plenty of coaching moves in the coming weeks, as the Johnson era is about to kick off with a bang.
