Grade the Chicago Bears’ hiring of Dennis Allen as defensive coordinator

The Bears tapped former Raiders and Saints HC Dennis Allen as their new Defensive Coordinator. Is he the right counterbalance to Ben Johnson?

For those who are bored with the prospect of the Chiefs and Eagles in the Super Bowl again, some more exciting news dropped that you can bury your head into instead.

In case you haven’t heard, the long-rumored marriage of Dennis Allen and the Chicago Bears has been confirmed:

Lots of colleagues at Windy City Gridiron smarter than I are already writing up deep dives on Allen, but here are a few of the high level points.

• Dennis Allen has served as a Head Coach in two separate stints - 2012-2014 with the Oakland Raiders and 2022-2024 with the New Orleans Saints.
• Allen has a long history as a defensive coordinator serving 6 cumulative seasons in the role in Denver and New Orleans.
• His defenses were consistently ranked highly in advanced metrics like defensive EPA per play and conventional metrics like points allowed.
• Some concerns that followed Allen were his ability to galvanize his rosters as head coach.

Popular opinion among the league is that Allen is a phenomenal hire that will help stabilize the defensive side of the roster and provide experience to first time Head Coach Ben Johnson.

So our question today is simple - are you happy with the hiring of Dennis Allen?

I think it’s a slam dunk. Allen is a proven play-caller who will not require a full restart on a defense that already has good pieces, but does not appear to be plagued by the same conservative approach Matt Eberflus would frequently employ.

Beyond that, despite some reports that Dennis Allen may not have been cut out to be a Head Coach, several defensive players like Tyrann Mathieu and Cam Jordan seemed disappointed in his firing. While players like Alvin Kamara seemed to embrace the change from Allen to Darren Rizzi mid-season, it’s very possible that Allen is best at focusing on one side of the ball.

Furthermore, there is a movement of hiring coordinators that are not at risk of being poached - due to age and failed head coaching history - such as Wade Phillips and Steve Spagnuolo. Dennis Allen fits that mold, and if Johnson and Allen can form a strong partnership, the Bears could have a stable coaching duo for years to come.

The Bears have had 8 offensive coordinators and 7 defensive coordinators since 2010, so it’s completely understandable if Bears fans approach any hirings with an empirical lens. But don’t let that history keep you from looking at Dennis Allen with some objectivity and hope that the Bears may have their long-term fit as Defensive Coordinator.