The Chicago Bears will head into the 2025 season with new coaches on both sides of the ball. For all of the changes that head coach Ben Johnson is expected to bring to the offense, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen could do the same for the defense.
More than just the personnel, which features new starters in Grady Jarrett at defensive tackle and Dayo Odeyingbo on the edge, the players figure to be deployed differently.
The Bears’ DC may have given a glimpse of that during organized team activities.
Bears DC Dennis Allen Teases Interesting Look During OTAs
Bears’ Secondary Could Be Featured Under Dennis Allen
Allen turned heads earlier this offseason when he said that nickel back Kyler Gordon could play different roles this coming season, including safety.
Gordon was not available during OTAs. Still, the Bears appeared to be following through on that design, running three-safety looks out on defense during team drills. Given who was and was not available (Terell Smith and Elijah Hicks were also absent) clouds the situation.
And the Bears are not doing much if anything of substance during open viewing sessions.
Still, the look suggests that, when he returns, Gordon will indeed take on some of the responsibilities of a safety in the Bears’ defense.
The question is, what will those duties be? Gordon could line up in any number of spots on the field while still functioning as a safety. That is an intriguing wrinkle for a Bears team that has invested a lot of resources into its secondary in recent years, particularly through the draft.
Missing Faces Cloud Bears’ Outlook
Johnson has been clear that there is no depth chart at this point of the offseason. Many of the spots would seem locked up so long as everyone is healthy, though.
Still, missing players like Gordon or fellow cornerback Jaylon Johnson makes it more difficult to pin down what Allen and the Bears have in mind. Johnson was also absent from the second OTA session open to the media.
The same is true on offense, where tackle Braxton Jones is recovering from ankle surgery.
That has opened the door for rookie Ozzy Trapilo, one of three Bears second-round picks this year. Another, Luther Burden III, has been out since rookie minicamp.
There is no reason for alarm. That is even as Bears first-round pick Colston Loveland has yet to fully participate either, due to a shoulder injury that required surgery earlier this year. That will change quickly as the calendar turns, though.