By Ross Jackson
Well, this could be interesting. Soon after reports began to circulate about the Chicago Bears finalizing plans to hire Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next head coach, another report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter connected former New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen to the Bears’ defensive coordinator position.
Should that hire come to fruition, the Saints will be facing their former coach on the road during the 2025 NFL season.
The Saints are set to travel to take on the Bears in Chicago next year. The bout would shape up as quite the revenge opportunity for Allen or a potential “we told you so” moment for Saints fans who had been calling for Allen’s departure for some time.
While Allen was not successful as the head coach in New Orleans, his defense was consistently near the top of the league in key categories until his final years in the Big Easy.
Allen’s defenses consistently developed defensive back talent and excelled against the run. That is, until it didn’t anymore.
Many believe that Allen’s system did not adequately evolve to handle modern-day offenses led by mobile and dual-threat quarterbacks. Depending on the Saints’ handling of quarterback this offseason, New Orleans may not have the requisite playstyle at passer to challenge those areas in 2025. However, that could change if the Saints make a major shift depending on the desires of their next head coach.
Things could get very interesting very quickly when the Saints travel to the Windy City next season.
(Posted Monday, Jan. 20 at 3:30 pm)
