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Courtney Cronin
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Each week, as Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen builds his plan to attack his next opponent, he has often done so by having to get creative.
It’s a similar challenge to visiting a grocery store with a detailed list and discovering that they’ve run out of the most important ingredients required to make a recipe. The Bears’ injuries on defense have forced Allen’s unit to live in a state of flux. As the team’s health has gotten more challenging during Chicago’s 10-4 start, Allen’s ability to adapt his defense to the available personnel has been in the spotlight.
It began with cornerback Nahshon Wright, who came to the Bears to provide depth but has started 13 of 14 games this season in place of Jaylon Johnson. Wright leads the team with three forced fumbles and is second with five interceptions.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson was signed in late October after being cut by the Texans and Ravens, and he has filled the void at nickel corner, with Kyler Gordon’s soft tissue injuries forcing him in and out of the lineup.
Linebacker D’Marco Jackson went from playing primarily on special teams to filling in for Tremaine Edmunds since late November. Jackson has already earned game balls for his performances against Pittsburgh and Cleveland, and he is the reigning NFC defensive player of the week.
Green Bay Packers on Saturday night (8:20 ET, Fox), Allen’s chef-like capabilities will once again be put to the test as the Bears aim to avenge their loss to their NFC North rival from Dec. 7 and take another leap forward to locking up a spot in the postseason.
«It’s like trying to create a meal,» Allen said. «Like, what are the ingredients that we have and then we’ll figure out what the meal’s going to be. And I think that’s kind of what we’ve had to do there, and you try to find out what are the skill sets of the players that you have available to you. Try to put them in positions to be able to do the things that they do well, try to minimize the times that you ask them to do things that maybe they’re not as good at.»
AT THE END of August, Jackson wasn’t sure where his football journey would go next. He had just been waived by New Orleans during roster cuts after spending the first three years of his career with the Saints. Not long after he was claimed by Chicago, Jackson got a text from Allen, who was eager to continue their journey together after coaching the linebacker for three seasons as New Orleans’ defensive coordinator.
Jackson understood that his role in Chicago would be on special teams, but when the Bears were missing their top three linebackers — Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell — against the Steelers on Nov. 21, he took his first opportunity to start and ran with it.
Not only did Jackson account for a team-high 15 tackles against Pittsburgh, but he also did it while assuming the responsibility of calling the defense.
«Every kid, you want to get out there and just go straight to defense, and you want to be that guy, but honestly, it was just a lone special teams role for me, making plays through special teams to keep my career alive,» Jackson said. «Due to some injuries, I finally got that chance to go out there and execute, and I did it.»
Bears HC Ben Johnson gave a game ball to his defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, the former Saints HC.
📹 @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/4DOZYcHvpV
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 19, 2025
It’s a similar story for Wright, who was coached by Bears defensive backs coach Al Harris in Dallas and was identified as a fit in Chicago in the spring. Gardner-Johnson’s history of playing under Allen in New Orleans led the Bears to secure the versatile defensive back near midseason. Gardner-Johnson is tied for third on the team in sacks (three) and fourth in interceptions (two).
«You have coaches that know the personnel intimately from the get-go, and those guys also have a little bit of a grasp of the scheme as well,» Bears coach Ben Johnson said. «So, it helps to hit the ground running like that, but all three of those individuals have made significant contributions to the team and to our defense over the course of the season. And that’s kind of what you count on going into it.
«You know there’s going to be attrition. You know guys are going to go down. The special teams players you’re counting on earlier this season, they become starters for you on offense and defense, and practice squad players end up getting elevated and playing roles as well. So, that’s always a challenge. You’re trying to create as much depth as you possibly can earlier in the season.»
In Allen’s first season with the Bears, Chicago is on pace to be one of the league’s best at forcing turnovers. The Bears have caused a turnover on 19.6% of their defensive drives this season, which is on pace to be the second highest by any team in the past 10 seasons, according to ESPN Research.
The Bears lead the league with 21 interceptions, thanks in large part to safety Kevin Byard III, who leads the NFL with six. Allen has used a change in scheme to put the players in a position to capitalize on these opportunities.
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«He’s been nothing short of aggressive,» Jaylon Johnson said. «Watching him from the outside when he was at the Saints and seeing what we’re doing here, whether it’s through man [coverage], whether it’s through blitzes and switching up looks, [the scheme] really attacks offenses and makes them second-guess themselves, as well.»
Though Chicago runs a nearly even split between man (49%) and zone coverage (51%), the Bears have generated an interception on 6.6% of pass attempts against their zone, which is the highest in the NFL by a wide margin (the Texans are second at 4.5%). Chicago’s 14 interceptions in zone defense are the most in the NFL, and it’s notable because the Bears run zone at the eighth-lowest rate in the NFL.
AS A FIRST-TIME head coach, Ben Johnson prioritized experience when looking for coordinators and position coaches to fill out his staff. In addition to being a veteran defensive coordinator, Allen had been a head coach in Oakland and New Orleans.
The chess match between Johnson’s offense and Allen’s defense has played out since training camp. The battles between them created follow-up conversations where both coaches served as sounding boards for one another.
«I think there’s a trust level, and that’s earned over time,» Allen said. «I don’t know that it was necessarily that way from the beginning and yet I think my résumé would say that there’s a little bit of a trust level kind of going into it. But I’m appreciative of the fact that he’s given me an opportunity to really step in and do the things that I think we need to do to be successful defensively.
«We communicate really on a daily basis about a lot of different things — what we’re doing defensively. There’s some times he has some thoughts and ideas. Some of those fit into what we’re trying to get accomplished and we’re able to kind of incorporate those things.»
It’s something that players have noticed, too.
«I think it has definitely changed the dynamic of the team and the defense in a way where it can truly be [Johnson] handles the offense and Coach Allen handles the defense,» Jaylon Johnson said. «He kind of gives DA what he wants as far as philosophy goes and then he lets him be who he is because he’s done it at a high level for a very long time. I think it’s definitely been beneficial for both sides.»
