Dennis Allen is bringing inevitable changes to the Chicago Bears' defense. Nobody doubts the former New Orleans Saints head coach is qualified for the job. Many people inside the NFL regard him as a genius when it comes to calling defense. The only question is what changes he may desire on the personnel side of things. Chicago appears to have an established roster of good players at all three levels. Even so, Allen may have different ideas about them since he doesn't run the same system Matt Eberflus did.
The good news is the schemes aren't wildly different. Adam Gristick worked with Allen in New Orleans as an assistant coach. He told Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic that his former boss will find ways to get the most out of what he has. Out of all the players on the roster, though, the two who should be the most excited about his arrival are linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards.
Gristick coached linebackers at the Senior Bowl and had a suggestion for Bears linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards as they prepare for their new scheme.
“All you need to do is turn on the No. 56 film in New Orleans and watch Demario Davis and the productivity that guy’s had over the course of the years he’s been there,” Gristick said. “He’s a five-time All-Pro in New Orleans. If they watch that 56 film, those linebackers should be pretty fired up about that defense.”
Dennis Allen gets his linebackers plenty of stats.
In 2021, his last year as a coordinator before getting promoted in New Orleans, the position group enjoyed a productive season. Demario Davis had 105 tackles and three sacks. Kwon Alexander, despite missing five games with injuries, still had 50 tackles and 3.5 sacks. C.J. Gardner-Johnson, though a safety, was listed as the third linebacker most of that year. He had 46 tackles, two sacks, and three interceptions. It is beyond evident that Allen uses his linebackers in a far more aggressive fashion, blitzing often to harass the quarterback.
The Bears' veterans can do this. Edwards had four sacks this past season despite Chicago not being much of a blitzing team, and Edmunds had 5.5 sacks in his first three seasons in Buffalo. Both are fully capable of attacking when asked, and Dennis Allen is almost certain to take advantage of that.
