LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Montez Sweat paused as he searched for the right word to describe his new defensive coordinator. Despite having known Dennis Allen for a couple of weeks as the Chicago Bears churned through OTAs this spring, the impression that Allen left on Sweat could already be felt.
"He's a very complex individual," the edge rusher said.
When asked to clarify his characterization of Allen and the type of identity the Bears defense hopes to create after their 10-game losing streak in 2024, Sweat pointed to the challenges of learning a variety of new fronts and coverages.
"It's just more than I had to learn in the past, I would say," Sweat said. "So, he's definitely a little more complex than the DCs I had in the past."
Bears defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. felt similarly.
"I think Coach Allen's defense is 'a lot of different,' you know what I mean?" Dexter said. "He throws in a lot of different fronts, a lot of different ways to get after the quarterback, so I think the type of guy I am, I could play in a lot of those different fronts.
"So, just being in it and the way he'll move guys around, the way he'll switch it up on the offense, it'll be good for not only me but everybody on the defensive line in this defense."
Allen spent nine seasons (2016-24) calling the defense for the New Orleans Saints, first as the team's defensive coordinator and then as head coach. Bears coach Ben Johnson believed Allen's solutions to remedy the team's struggles under former coach Matt Eberflus would be a good fit in Chicago, and early returns among players are positive.
Here are three things we know about Allen as he tries to fix the Bears defense:
Tendencies of Allen's scheme
Three characteristics most closely define Allen's defenses in New Orleans. Since 2016, the Saints deployed the second-most four-man fronts in the NFL, were in man coverage on 55% of dropbacks (fifth-highest rate) and showed two-high safeties on 45% of snaps (third highest).
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."
Allen's defenses underwent periods of change during his nine seasons in New Orleans.
From 2016 to 2021, the Saints disguised coverages 18% of the time; that figure rose to 21% during his three seasons as head coach (2022-24). In Allen's first six seasons, the Saints blitzed on 32% of opponent dropbacks (fifth highest); that pressure rate dropped to 20% from 2022 to 2024 (second lowest). Even with that recent dip in blitzing, New Orleans is sixth in pressure rate since 2016 (31%). Last season, the Saints simulated pressure at the seventh-highest rate in the NFL (36%).
"I think we want to be an attacking, aggressive style of defense," Allen said this offseason. "I think we want to take the fight to the offense and not let the offense dictate the tempo to us. We're gonna be aggressive, we're gonna challenge everything."
'Mano a mano'
Allen's initial assessment of the Bears' secondary centered on how well he believed Chicago's cornerbacks could fit into his man coverage-heavy scheme.
Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson is eager to shadow an opponent's top receiver.
"You lock up the No. 1 guy," Johnson said. "No. 1 on No. 1. For me, that's what I am looking forward to doing."
Coming into the NFL as a second-round pick in 2023, Tyrique Stevenson was eager to show how his physicality and size could help him develop into a staple in a press-man scheme. Though the Bears were predominantly a zone coverage team under Eberflus, Allen's more aggressive style has Stevenson excited for the opportunity to prove his value.
"Honestly, how I look at it, he allows us to make our money," Stevenson said. "You're a corner, you're a cover corner and you've got to cover the guys in this league. His defense allows you to go out there and build your confidence up week after week, playing man after man on any receiver. Building that confidence up allows you to go make the plays or take certain risks that you wouldn't take if you were never put in that position before."
With Johnson, Stevenson and Kyler Gordon, who received a three-year contract extension this offseason, the core of the Bears' cornerbacks remains one of the team's biggest strengths entering the 2025 season. The opportunity to show his strengths in press coverage is something Stevenson is eager to test, beginning in training camp.
"I love it," Stevenson said. "Most of the defense for the corners is man on man, so it's mano a mano. I'm going to show you I've been working and I'm better than you. I feel like that can take a lot of guessing out of the game for the corners."
Fixing Chicago's weakest link
Chicago's run defense was one of the worst in the NFL during Eberflus' final season, ranking 28th in yards allowed. Similarly, New Orleans struggled in stopping opponents' rushing attacks, with both teams allowing 4.6 yards per rush since 2022 (bottom six in the NFL).
However, that was a far cry from what both Eberflus and Allen experienced as coordinators. From 2016 to 2021, the Saints led the NFL in yards per rush allowed (4.0). When Eberflus was the Colts' defensive coordinator, Indianapolis ranked third against the run in yards allowed (4.0).
Chicago's top priority on defense this offseason was addressing its pass rush. The Bears added defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo and defensive tackles Grady Jarrett and Shemar Turner to put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and the contributions from the Bears' front seven might help turn the defense's biggest weakness into a strength.
"Just the additions that we made, especially on that front four with Grady and Dayo coming in, being able to help Tez and all those boys, I think that's where it starts," Byard said. "It starts up front. It starts with those guys, first and foremost, stopping the run -- something we really weren't good at last year -- so we can attack it that way. If we stop the run, then everything opens up for the defense. Those guys can pin their ears back, get after the quarterback and everything."
Added Sweat: "We understand that we've got to stop the run [in order] to rush the passer. Everybody likes to rush the passer, but you've got to stop the run first, so that's definitely a big emphasis in this defense, and that's what we plan on doing."