Dennis Allen's emotional answer says it all about Bears' secondary situation

The Chicago Bears have a big problem already within the first week of training camp that they have to deal with.

In the secondary, they are already down Kyler Gordon and Elijah Hicks, who are both on the PUP list. Now, Coby Bryant is out eight to 10 weeks after his knee injury in training camp, leaving the safety and nickel positions wide open.

Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen opened up about what his plan is at each position. Cam Lewis was taking snaps at nickel but is now solely focused on safety. As for the nickel spot, that will be a competition between Jaylon Jones, Josh Blackwell, and rookie fourth-round pick Malik Muhammad.

Dennis Allen was fired up when talking about Bears' secondary

Having those kinds of injuries in the secondary and having to answer for it time and time again can be frustrating, but it's something that is weighing on Allen's mind. When asked about what kind of expectations he has for guys in a new role, Allen did not let up on what he's looking for.

"I just want to…everybody asks, ‘What do you want to see out of this guy? What do you want to see out of this guy? What do you want to see out of this guy?’ You know what I want to see? I want to see 11 frickin’ dudes on the field competing their ass off," Allen said via ESPN Bears reporter Courtney Cronin. "And if we all do that, then I feel pretty confident that we’ll get them to the right spot. But that’s what this time of year is all about. This is about developing the culture and the way that you’re going to play. That’s what I want to see out of all of them. I want to see it out of the frickin’ 10-year vet. I want to see it out of the rookie."

This has become a common problem for Allen since becoming the defensive coordinator last year. He had to coach a lot of the 2025 campaign without Jaylon Johnson and Gordon, who both had soft-tissue injuries. Chicago finished 22nd in the NFL against the pass, allowing 227.2 yards per game.

That trend is continuing with what Allen is facing now with Gordon, Hicks, and Bryant. Once again, the Bears will have to get creative on defense to make sure the banged-up secondary has the support they need.

The good news is that Lewis has starting experience over the last five years with the Buffalo Bills, so he can handle his own for two months. Nickel is becoming more of a concern than ever.

Jones has been good in the preseason for the Bears, but Blackwell is more known for his special teams work, and Muhammad is a rookie. Muhammad was originally looked at as competition for Tyrique Stevenson at CB2, but now could have a shot at starting in the slot.

Read more: Bears' 53-man roster prediction after ruthless first week of training camp

This is a less-than-ideal situation for Allen to be dealing with when the team has Super Bowl aspirations. Someone in that secondary is going to have to step up and become the next Nahshon Wright quickly.

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