Windy City Gridiron
The defensive front will largely remain the same. That may be the only continuation fans will see this year under Dennis Allen.
Plenty has been said about the new-look Chicago Bears offense expected for the upcoming 2025 regular season. Surely, an offensive line that has gone from the worst on paper to arguably one of the best in just a few short months, and new weaponry for Caleb Williams to utilize as the franchise quarterback, gets fans excited. We’ve waited for (good) fireworks to happen consistently for years now.
Yet... here is where this old-headed defensive stan will chime the following phrase. “Offense sells tickets, and it will get you to the big show, but defense wins championships.” The Vic Fangio-led crew in Philly — hey that name sounds very familiar — serves as the latest example. And the Bears’ defense was plenty bad in its own right for far too many reasons.
So much so that newly extended GM Ryan Poles recognized an immediate need to rebuild the defense from a philosophical standpoint while retooling the depth charts within the trenches. The offensive line was hideous, yes, and demanded the most attention. The defensive line was but a hollowed shell once their best players started falling out due to injuries and coaching malpractice.
On paper, the fronts utilized and basic concepts will look the same. Dennis Allen, much like Matt Eberflus, is well-rehearsed in the concepts of a Tampa 2 style of defense. Yet these two coaches could not be any more different from one another. From actual coverage concepts ran behind the defensive front — front =/= scheme — to the physical makeup of players themselves stands to be a complete departure from what we’ve seen since 2022.
The most blatant change on paper is the sheer amount of bulk added to the Bears’ defensive line this offseason. Both returning players and newcomers alike have been working to build lean mass on their frames, particularly at defensive tackle. The amount of size gained along the defensive line was annotated after reviewing the team’s official site and listings for players height and weight. Below are the major highlights for the amount of gains across their D-line.
*Played for the Atlanta Falcons in 2024...
