Everybody knew head coach Ben Johnson would likely be defined by the staff he built after taking over the Chicago Bears. It was especially true for his choice of defensive coordinator. Plenty of strong, offensive-minded head coaches have been sunk by poor selections at that spot. Maybe Marc Trestman survives longer than two years if he finds anybody better than Mel Tucker. Fortunately, Johnson wasn't naive enough to bring somebody from Detroit with him. He sought a proven name with a strong track record. Dennis Allen was the one who jumped out immediately.
Between 2018 and 2022, he built one of the NFL's best defenses in New Orleans. Experts lauded him for his intelligence, diversified approach, and ability to adjust on the fly. Bears players have already expressed significant interest in what Allen brings to the table. Montez Sweat and Jaylon Johnson both seem excited about the changes. However, nobody is more excited about Allen's arrival than Jaquan Brisker, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN. For the first time, he feels the Bears have a coordinator who can get the most out of the young safety's ability.
Safety Jaquan Brisker, who was limited to five games last season due to a concussion, is eager to return to the field because he'll have many opportunities to display his versatility in the secondary.
"[To] show I'm a Swiss Army knife," Brisker said, "how he moves pieces around, and how we run so many different things, and we can all make it look the same or vice versa. Things like that. That's what I love about it. DA is smart.
"I know he's going to put us in the right positions."
Dennis Allen tends to make great use of safeties.
His track record speaks for itself. He squeezed one last Pro Bowl out of a 38-year-old Brian Dawkins in Denver, then did the same with a 37-year-old Charles Woodson, a former cornerback, in Oakland. His crowning achievements came in New Orleans, where he developed Vonn Bell, Marcus Williams, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson into highly productive players. He even got a great season out of Kenny Vaccaro, who had three interceptions and 1.5 sacks in 2017.
If you're looking for an example of what Dennis Allen can do with Brisker, it would be that. Vaccaro boasted a similar skill set with size, aggression, and physicality. The key difference is that the Bears' safety is better in coverage. No wonder Brisker is so excited. If Allen uses him like he used Vaccaro, this could be a breakout year. The timing couldn't be better with Brisker eyeing a contract extension.
