Probably the biggest addition new head coach Ben Johnson made to the Chicago Bears staff was his defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen. The man brings plenty of pedigree with him as a two-time former head coach who has produced five top-10 defenses since 2011. His best work came in New Orleans, where he helped return the team to the status of Super Bowl contenders in the late 2010s. While his stint as head coach didn't end well there, almost everybody around the league believes he has a bright future as a defensive coordinator. That is why Johnson reached out to him at the end of December.
Allen met with the media for the first time on Thursday. He was asked about how things would go with him running the defense moving forward. One thing was made crystal clear from the start. Don't expect the Bears to sit back and let offenses dictate the tempo anymore.
"We want to be an attacking, aggressive style of defense. We want to take the fight to the offense and not let the offense dictate the tempo to us. We're going to be aggressive, we're going to challenge everything, we're going to play the game the right way, we're going to play a tough, physical brand of football, I think the brand of football you come to expect at the Chicago Bears."
The numbers back up Dennis Allen.
Blitz percentage became an official stat seven years ago. Throughout his time in New Orleans as defensive coordinator between 2018 and 2021, he blitzed on 28.27% of the plays. By contrast, Matt Eberflus blitzed an average of 22.85% during his two years running the defense for the Bears in 2023 and 2024. That pretty much guarantees there will be a considerable uptick in extra attackers each week. Expect cornerback Kyler Gordon to lead that charge. Allen loved using the nickel corner as a chess piece in blitz looks with the Saints. Gordon had nine pressures and a sack on 48 blitzes this season.
For an attacking defense to work, you also need good pass rushers. Chicago has a couple with Montez Sweat and Gervon Dexter, but they still lack a true dynamic presence on the line. It is safe to assume Dennis Allen will push to add another piece to the mix at some point between March and April. Once the Bears can start consistently pressuring opponents, their odds of winning games will go way up.
