Dennis Allen is not feeling sentimental.
The Chicago Bears defensive coordinator is preparing to face the New Orleans Saints, the team that fired him as its head coach nearly a year ago. Asked about it Thursday at Halas Hall, Allen was all business.
“I spent 15 out of my 24 years in the league at that place, so obviously I’ve got a lot of fond memories of being there,” Allen said. “And yet, it’s another game.”
Allen coached two stints as an assistant with the Saints and has been a head coach twice in the league (with the Raiders from 2012-14 and the Saints from 2022-24). He had the unenviable task of replacing a legend in Sean Payton after Payton stepped away in 2022.
Now, he has come to Chicago to run coach Ben Johnson’s defense. But Allen’s presence is so much more than that for the first-time head coach.
“He’s been a godsend to me,” Johnson said this week. “He’s been incredible, not just from coordinating the defense, but he’s helped me every step of the way as well.”
Allen, 53, has been in the league for 24 years. He has seen some things.
“He’s been a very successful coach in this league for a long time,” Johnson said. “And I think you’ve got to continue to evolve. You can’t just be stagnant in this league or else someone younger, hungrier will find a way to surpass you, and he hasn’t allowed that to happen. He’s done this at a high level.”
The Bears have a coaching staff full of young, hungry coaches, and it starts at the top with Johnson, 39. He hired a 29-year-old offensive coordinator in Declan Doyle. Several other assistant coaches would qualify as young and hungry.
But Johnson understood that every coaching staff needs some grizzled veterans. Someone with head coaching experience was key too.
Allen might not come across as fiery when the cameras are on, but Bears safety Tyrique Stevenson described a coach who isn’t afraid to make his point by throwing a chair across the room — as Allen did during a meeting this season.
“He definitely brings the grit and I definitely appreciate it,” Stevenson said.
The Saints fired Allen on Nov. 4 after Week 9 of last season. They were in the midst of a seven-game losing streak. Allen went 18-25 as the head coach in New Orleans.
Speaking with reporters Thursday ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Saints at Soldier Field, Allen did his best to narrow the focus back to the game.
“Oh, man, look, I mean, 15 years there, a lot of good experiences, a lot of good people, a lot of wins,” Allen said. “We were a part of a lot of success there. I’ve got fond memories of it, but this week is really all about let’s focus on the football.”
Allen came to Chicago looking for a fresh start. Johnson and Allen had never worked together but they had several mutual contacts — including Lions coach Dan Campbell.
On a certain level, Allen’s experience has allowed Johnson to spend more time focusing on the offense. He knows he can trust the coach everybody calls “DA” to put his defensive players in the best position to succeed.
After a rough start, which included allowing 52 points in a loss to the Lions in Week 2, the Bears defense seems to be finding its footing. The Bears have created 11 takeaways over the current three-game winning streak, with at least three in each game.
The team’s 12 takeaways on the season rank second in the NFL heading into Week 7 behind only the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 14 — and the Jaguars have played one more game. The Bears and Jaguars are tied with a league-leading plus-eight takeaway margin.
“The No. 1 thing is there’s a conscious effort, and there’s a prepared knowledge of where your takeaway opportunities are going to happen,” Allen said.
The Bears are the No. 3-ranked defense on third downs, allowing just 30.6% conversions.
Allen isn’t afraid to line up five or six defenders near the line of scrimmage on third down in order to create as much confusion as possible. The Bears defense doesn’t blitz at a high rate (20.9%, per Pro Football Reference, which ranks in the bottom third of the league), but the goal is to make it difficult for the quarterback and offensive line to know where the pressure is coming from.
“His third-down plans and how he’s trying to attack teams has been cool to see,” linebacker T.J. Edwards said. “(It’s) getting our guys up front, putting matchups where they can go win and they can have that freedom, but also just trying to cause chaos for the quarterbacks.”
Edwards and nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon returned from hamstring injuries against the Commanders, giving the defense a big boost. They are two of the more versatile players at Allen’s disposal, and both are capable of playing in coverage and blitzing. Edwards rushed the passer on eight of his 65 snaps Monday, per NFL Pro.
“He doesn’t want to be a routine guy,” said Bears safeties coach Matt Giordano, who worked with Allen in New Orleans too. “He wants to call the right call in the right moment, so he does a great job of staying calm in the moment and identifying what’s the best call to put us in the best spot.”
Allen will have the opportunity to do that Sunday against a team he knows well. Not that Allen is making a big deal of it.
“I probably wouldn’t try to make anything more of it than really what it is,” Allen said. “It’s the next opponent on the schedule. I’m sure they feel the same way.”
Injury updates
The Bears on Thursday opened the 21-day practice window for linebacker and special teamer Amen Ogbongbemiga. He went on injured reserve/designated to return Aug. 26 after the conclusion of training camp. Ogbongbemiga was listed on the practice report as limited with a knee injury.
Wide receiver DJ Moore was upgraded to a limited participant with hip and groin injuries. He was hospitalized in the Washington area after the Bears’ Monday night win against the Commanders and returned to Chicago on Tuesday.
Here is the rest of the report.
- Did not participate: Defensive lineman Grady Jarrett (knee), kicker Cairo Santos (thigh), linebacker Noah Sewell (concussion)
- Limited: Running back D’Andre Swift (groin)
- Full: Defensive end Austin Booker (knee), running back Travis Homer (calf), guard Jonah Jackson (ankle).
Jackson was upgraded from a nonparticipant. Booker and Homer are on the reserve/designated to return list.