Given the injuries and ineffectiveness Keenan Allen has had this season with the Chicago Bears, many are beginning to wonder if the Bears' front office missed on their evaluation of Allen last March.
Allen passed on restructuring his contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, leading the Bears to send a fourth-round pick to the Chargers in exchange for the veteran wide receiver.
Despite Allen missing some time last season due to a heel/toe injury, he managed to hail in a career-high 108 receptions in 13 games played while totaling 1,243 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. When the trade was completed, it was a given that the Bears would need to accept that Allen was going to miss a handful of games but when he is on the field, he would be difference maker.
Allen hasn't been that difference-maker for the Bears. Injuries have indeed limited Allen to 6 games this season but when he has been on the field, he's only added to what has become a broken offense for the Bears. Allen has 21 receptions on the season for a total of 197 yards and 2 touchdowns.
On the surface, the indicator is that father time has caught up with Allen.
However, there's a stat that may suggest that Allen's struggles this season are tied to how he is being used.
Keenan Allen's average depth of target this season is a career-long 11.2 yards down field (through Week 9)
— Lorin Cox (@CoxSports1) November 5, 2024
The Bears are throwing him the ball deeper, on average, than any other season in his career
Shane Waldron seems to be treating Allen like a deep-threat when at this stage of his career, Allen has thrived in the short-yardage game. Case in point, with the Chargers last season in 13 games, Allen registered 57 first downs. This season, Allen has 14 with a projection that would place him just under 30 by the time the season concludes.
Allen's struggles this season may not be due to injury or age, it could just be another example of Shane Waldron not knowing how to utilize the strengths of the players he has.