Ben Johnson plans to bring in recently fired head coach to Chicago as part of staff

The 2024 season was nothing short of a disaster for the Chicago Bears who, despite starting out the year 4-2, finished the season losing 10 of their final 11 games to finish in last place in the NFC North for the second time in the last three years.

Considering just how much of a bust Caleb Williams' rookie year turned out to be, nailing this offseason is crucial for the future of this franchise. Fortunately, the Bears made the best possible head coaching hire that they could have, coming to terms with former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to fill their vacancy.

Johnson has never been a head coach at the NFL level before, but he's been the mastermind behind arguably the best offense in the NFL in the last couple of years. Pairing his brilliant offensive mind with Williams and talented skill position players in Chicago has Bears fans dreaming of better times ahead.

Now that the head coach is figured out, the rest of the coaching staff must be assembled as well. Johnson already has an ideal defensive coordinator in mind, Dennis Allen, to join him.

Ben Johnson has eyes on Dennis Allen to fill defensive coordinator vacancy

Assuming Johnson does lure Allen to The Windy City, that fit makes a lot of sense for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, Allen has had two stints as a head coach, so he can help Johnson make the adjustment. Second, Allen's track record as a defensive coordinator is quite good.

Allen's two stints as a head coach did not go well. He lasted just 2.5 seasons in both of his tenures before getting fired. He went 26-53 overall with no playoff appearances. He went just 2-7 with the New Orleans Saints this past season before being let go. As underwhelming as that might be, the Bears would not be hiring Allen to be a head coach. Again, his track record as a defensive coordinator is impressive.

Allen spent seven years as the Saints defensive coordinator and had three different defenses finish in the top 10 in the league in points allowed. New Orleans allowed the fifth-fewest points in 2020 and the fourth-fewest points in 2021, leading to Allen getting their head coaching job. He might not have gotten the job as a head coach, but his defenses have been good enough to give him two different head coaching opportunities. All Bears fans can do is hope that trend will continue in Chicago.

A lot went wrong for Chicago this past season, but their defense was mostly solid, ranking 13th in opponent points per game. Adding a defensive coordinator of Allen's track record should help it improve even further.

Allen can help Johnson learn on the job while also giving the Bears an established coordinator to run their defense. It's hard to envision much of a better fit, here.