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Keenan Allen is a huge addition for the Chicago Bears offense.
General manager Ryan Poles cooked up a trade Thursday night with the Los Angeles Chargers to bring the veteran wide receiver to Chicago for one of the Bears’ fourth-round picks (No. 110) in the 2024 NFL Draft.
This singular move changes the entire complexion of the offense. The Bears now have two legitimate No. 1 receivers in DJ Moore and Allen. Cole Kmet is coming off his best year, and he has Gerald Everett as a compliment. Meanwhile, D’Andre Swift provides the backfield with a dynamic playmaker.
This collection of skill players is exactly what the Bears needed to assemble in order for the quarterback position to not only thrive in Chicago next season but develop at the same time.
Allen, 31, finished his 11th season in the NFL with a career-high 108 receptions. He also posted his second-highest total in receiving yards with 1,243, and he added seven touchdowns, his third-most in a single year.
He did this despite missing the last four games of the 2023 season due to heel and shoulder injuries. Over the course of 11 seasons, the former third-round pick out of the University of California has consistently displayed his elite route-running ability, and that has helped him produce six 1,000-yard receiving seasons since being drafted in 2013.
“We’re extremely excited to add Keenan to our team,” general manager Ryan Poles said in a statement. “His body of work speaks for itself and we look forward to him elevating our offense.”
Even at Allen’s age, the Bears’ offense gains an elite receiver to go along with Moore, who is coming off a career-high season in yards, receptions and touchdowns. Those two were at the top of the NFL in several statistical categories in 2023.
According to Pro Football Focus, Allen finished with 32 receptions against man coverage last season — the fifth-most in the league. Moore placed right behind him with 30. Allen also posted the 10th-best grade for pass routes against man coverage at 87.8. Moore finished third with a 91.2 grade.
Moore and Allen also both create yards after the catch (YAC). Moore finished No. 8 in the league with 550, and Allen placed 16th with his 395 YAC last season.
Another key area in which both receivers excelled was generating first downs. Moore finished with 64 (sixth-most) and Allen ended with 56 (tying for 12th).
Outside of Moore and Kmet, the Bears didn’t have any dependable receiving options last season. It’s a completely different scenario heading into the 2024 season. New offensive coordinator Shane Waldron can get creative with how he wants to deploy his two receivers and the other weapons on offense.
Obviously, there are still some questions and uncertainties about the offense despite the new additions. Allen has dealt with a series of injuries throughout his career. He has missed 11 games in the past two seasons and overcame a torn ACL in 2016 that limited him to one game and a lacerated kidney that placed him on IR. Allen’s health will be something to pay attention to next season.
Then, there’s still the offensive line. Since the beginning of March, the Bears have added Ryan Bates through a trade with Buffalo and signed Matt Pryor, Coleman Shelton and Jake Curhan.
It’s a lot of names, but it’s fair to question the quality among the quantity of players acquired. The biggest position that needs to be filled is center, and, as it stands today, Shelton would be the leading candidate to start. However, Bates has also played the position, and the Bears taking a center in the draft shouldn’t be ruled out.
Quarterback can also, technically, fall into that uncertainty category for now. All signs around the league are pointing toward the Bears drafting USC’s Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick. So Poles still needs to find a trade partner for Justin Fields, but given the movement at the position over the last few days, there aren’t many spots available.
But regardless of who is under center in 2024 for the Bears, Poles has created an offensive unit that should allow the quarterback position to have success this upcoming season while also providing a stable foundation for continued development.
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