First-time head coach Ben Johnson reportedly has made his first significant coordinator hire. The Chicago Bears are bringing on two-time head coach and longtime defensive assistant Dennis Allen as their new defensive coordinator, per Ian Rapoport.
Allen offers extensive experience and a proven track record to a Chicago team that has been urgently seeking defensive stability since the dismissal of head coach and de facto defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus following Week 13 of last season.
Hiring Allen instantly re-establishes credibility on defense, while providing Johnson with a lieutenant who has extensive head coaching experience. As the head coach of the Raiders and Saints, he recorded a 26-53 record and was fired during his third season with both teams. However, his experience as a defensive coordinator propelled him to top coaching positions twice.
From 2015 to 2021, while overseeing the Saints’ defense, New Orleans became one of the league’s most respected defensive units. In four of those seasons, the Saints ranked among the top ten in points allowed per game, peaking at fourth in 2020, when they allowed just 21.1 points per game. That year, New Orleans’ defense held Chicago to only nine points in the NFC Wild Card Round.
Improving a defense that ranked near the bottom of the league last season in several areas has to be a top priority for Johnson. In 2024, Chicago finished 31st in total defense and dead last in sacks, with only 20 on the season.
Allen’s defenses have consistently performed well against the run, which was a glaring weakness for Chicago last season. In 2020, the Saints allowed only 93.9 rushing yards per game, ranking fourth in the NFL.
When Johnson spoke with reporters after his introductory press conference last Wednesday, the new head coach mentioned the Bears’ run defense as a tremendous strength that disappeared from the team’s arsenal in 2024.
Johnson highlighted defensive tackle Andrew Billings’ absence as the leading factor in the unit’s inability to slow down the run. Billings tore his pectoral in Week 9 in Arizona and missed the remainder of the season. In two games in 2024, both after Billings’ injury, Johnson’s high-powered Lions offense averaged 170 yards on the ground against Chicago’s shorthanded defense.
The Bears are also reportedly poaching Al Harris from the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive staff to become Chicago’s passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Bears may be adding another former head coach to the staff. Former Stanford coach David Shaw is a candidate for offensive coordinator. Shaw has served as a senior personnel executive with the Denver Broncos for the past year and played a significant role in Andrew Luck’s development as Stanford’s offensive coordinator during Luck’s college years.
