Sources: The #Bears are hiring former #Saints head coach and respected guru Dennis Allen as their new defensive coordinator.
The favorite to join coach Ben Johnson’s staff since Johnson’s hire, Allen adds experience and a top-notch DC to Chicago. pic.twitter.com/oYpIftgfB9
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 27, 2025
It didn’t take Dennis Allen long to find a new home. After being fired as head coach of New Orleans Saints midseason, the highly-respected defensive mind has landed with the Chicago Bears as their new defensive coordinator.
Allen will be manning the defensive side of the ball under new head coach Ben Johnson, formerly the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator. Allen will be taking over a defense that ranked 27th in the league in yards allowed, and 13th in points allowed. It’s a unit composed of mostly young talent who are looking to make a big jump next season.
As head coach of the Saints, Allen failed to find success with a record of 18-25 the last three years, but is one of the most gifted defensive play callers in our game. Since becoming full-time defensive coordinator for the Saints back in 2016, his defenses have ranked top-15 in yards allowed and points allowed in five out of six seasons while boasting a couple of top-five finishes in both categories from 2020 to 2021. His success on this side of the ball wouldn’t change much during his tenure as head coach, finishing with similar numbers in his first two seasons before falling dramatically in these areas this past season.
Allen’s tenure may have left a bad taste in fans mouth after struggling to produce wins in New Orleans, but no one will ever question what he did for a Saints defense that was the worst in league history prior to his arrival. DA now gets a chance to help build up an exciting franchise with a lot of promise. The Saints will see Allen this fall with a road game scheduled in Chicago for 2025.
