Windy City Gridiron
The former head coach of the Raiders and Saints gets tabbed by Ben Johnson to take over a strong unit on defense.
We’ve got all sorts of movement for the assembly of the inaugural coaching staff under Ben Johnson for the Chicago Bears. This time, they’ve landed their top choice to run the defense—a very seasoned veteran at that.
According to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Bears are hiring Dennis Allen as their defensive coordinator. Allen most recently served as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
Sources: The Bears are hiring former Saints head coach and respected guru Dennis Allen as their new defensive coordinator.
The favorite to join coach Ben Johnson’s staff since Johnson’s hire, Allen adds experience and a top-notch DC to Chicago.
In all, he’s worked in the NFL since 2002, with his entry being made with the Atlanta Falcons as a defensive assistant. Despite his shortcomings as a head coach for both the (then) Oakland Raiders and New Orleans Saints, he’s always been one of the most respected defensive minds in the league. This includes sporting top five units in scoring defense with the Saints for two consecutive years prior to the start of the 2024 season.
Now, he inherits a group in Chicago filled with talent and has contended among the league’s best in several categories. Some of those include being ranked 3rd in red zone scoring percentage and 6th in TDs allowed per game. Dennis Allen’s schemes are fairly close to former head coach Matt Eberflus’ concepts in terms of fronts used (4-3) and coverages called (covers two and three predominantly). As a result, this transition on defense could be rather seamless.
We’ve already seen the arrival of Al Harris as their defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator. The remaining positions on defense are TBD.
As more updates arrive, we will keep you all in the loop...
