When Ben Johnson was looking at putting together a staff in case he took a head coaching job, he wasted no time getting in touch with Dennis Allen, who had been fired as the New Orleans Saints' head coach during last season.
Allen has not been successful in two stints as a head coach, but he brings the experience of being a head coach to Johnson's Chicago Bears' staff. He also guided a top-10 scoring defense in each of his last four full seasons (2020-2023) with the Saints, as the defensive coordinator then the head coach, so there's no denying his acumen as a defensive mind.
A big part of Allen's task in turning around the Bears' defense will be getting better performance from some big-name players who have underachieved.
Through four games, injuries have been a significant impediment for Allen's unit. Linebacker T.J. Edwards, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and cornerback Kyler Gordon have combined to play in two games. While Johnson will be out a while longer, Edwards and Gordon are on track to return after the bye week and they will certainly help a run defense that has been gashed like no other in the league through four weeks.
Dennis Allen is getting better play out of big Bears' free agent investment
Among Bears' defensive players who were under the most pressure entering this season, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds was high on the list. His first two seasons in Chicago, after signing a four-year, $72 million contract, were underwhelming. The number of impactful plays he was making all but evaporated last season, to the point his final season with the Buffalo Bills in 2022 based on Pro Football Focus grades) started to look fueled by a drive for a big free agent contract.
But with evidence Allen's defensive scheme puts off-ball linebackers in position to produce big, maybe Edmunds could rebound this season.
Through Week 4, Edmonds' 40 total tackles were tied for fifth in the league and he has 26 total tackles over the Bears' last two games. PFF has credited him with 16 stops, which was a top-five number among linebackers entering Week 5. For context, PFF credited him with 34 stops all of last season (over 1,055 snaps).
After two years with an overall PFF grade outside the top-55 among off-ball linebackers, Edmunds was No. 23 through Week 4 with a top-30 run defense grade (73.8). His coverage grade is not great (58.3), but his two interceptions against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3 were notable plays, and he is allowing a 75.1 passer rating in his coverage.
There are still plays Edmunds is failing to make at times (h/t to Clay Harbor), but overall he looks better than he ever has as a Bear.
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Edmunds may never fully live up to that big contract. But Allen's defensive scheme has him on a good track, and when Edwards is back on the field, the Bears are lined up to have the top-tier linebacker duo they've envisioned.