Dennis Allen joins the Bears in 2025 to coordinate Chicago's defense.
Allen enters his 30th season in the coaching profession with the Bears after most recently serving as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints (2022-24), having held the role of defensive play-caller for the Saints since the middle of the 2015 season, holding the role of defensive coordinator until his promotion to head coach of the Saints in 2022. In each of his final four full seasons calling the defense, the Saints were the only team to rank top-10 in points per game allowed every season.
A two-time NFL Head Coach, first with the Oakland Raiders in 2012, then again with the New Orleans Saints in 2022, six of his 23 NFL coaching seasons have been in a head coach capacity, with an additional eight seasons as a defensive coordinator. Over his 14 full seasons with the Saints, Allen contributed to six NFC South Division titles, including the 2009 season which culminated in a World Championship following a victory in Super Bowl XLIV.
Over his final four full seasons leading New Orleans' defense, including the last two as head coach, the Saints had three seasons finishing top-10 in total defense, including two seasons in the top-five (2020 and 2022), owning the second-best pass defense in the NFL in 2022 (184.4), his first season as head coach. Over his 23 years of coaching in the NFL, Allen has worked with 18 players who have combined for 36 Pro Bowl selections and has coached two AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winners and three eventual members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In 2023, Allen led a Saints defense that ranked No. 8 in the NFL in opponent points per game (19.2) and ninth in points per game (23.6), the Saints were one of five teams to finish in the top ten in both categories, helping guide the Saints to win four of their last five games, as the team turned in a 9-8 performance, narrowly missing a playoff berth. In addition to finishing eighth in the NFL in scoring defense, New Orleans ranked first in opponent third down and short percentage (40.7) and passes defensed (99), tied for third in interceptions (18), ranked fourth in opponent third down percentage (34.5) and tenth in pass defense (207.3). Leading the charge defensively was LB Demario Davis, who led the team in tackles for the sixth consecutive season, was selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl and voted an AP All-Pro for the fifth consecutive season.
In his first year as head coach of the Saints in 2022, Allen guided New Orleans to wins in three of their final four games and allow 20 or fewer points in the final eight contests of the season, including ten points apiece in each of the final three contests. Under Allen's supervision, New Orleans ranked second in the NFL in pass defense (184.4), fifth in total defense (314.8), tied for fifth in sacks (48), ranked sixth in opponent red-zone touchdown percentage (50.0) and ninth in scoring defense (20.3).
In 2021, his final season as defensive coordinator before being promoted to head coach, Allen's unit ranked first in the NFL in opponent red-zone touchdown percentage (43.5), finishing No. 2 in the league in opponent first downs (304) and opponent rushing first downs (84), respectively. New Orleans' streak of 22 regular season/postseason contests without allowing a 100-yard rusher at the end of the season was the longest in the NFL. With 25 takeaways and a plus-seven turnover ratio, Allen's defense was instrumental in leading the Saints to their fifth consecutive winning season. Allen handled head coach Sean Payton's head coaching duties in a December win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Payton was sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols. Allen's 2020 unit finishing tied for first in interceptions (18), ranked fourth in opponent net yards per game (310.9) and opponent rushing yards per game (91.3), fifth in opponent net passing yards per game (217.0) and opponent points per game (21.1) and eighth in sacks (45). The 139 points given up on the road by New Orleans were the fewest in the NFL and the third-lowest total by the club since the start of a 16-game regular season schedule in 1978. New Orleans did not allow a 100-yard rusher until Week 14 of the season, marking an NFL record of 55 games (postseason included) of not giving up 100 yards to an individual.
The 2019 Saints ranked third in the league in sacks, recording 51 takedowns and finished fourth in run defense at 91.3 yards rushing per game. In 2018, the Saints boasted the second-best run defense in the NFL, allowing just 80.2 rushing yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry.
Allen coordinated a Saints defense in 2017 that finished third in the league in interceptions (20), tied for seventh in sacks (42) and ranked tenth in opponent points per game (20.4) after ranking 31st in 2016. Away from home, New Orleans surrendered only 18.3 points per game, tied for sixth in the NFL, with their 146 road points given up tied for the fifth-lowest total by the club since the start of a 16-game schedule in 1978. Allen oversaw a defense that featured first-team All-Pro DE Cam Jordan who posted 13 sacks and Lattimore, who led rookies with five interceptions and garnered AP Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, as both defenders earned Pro Bowl recognition. In 2016, Allen's group surrendered only 90.6 rushing yards per game over the final 13 weeks of the season, ranking sixth-best in the NFL over that period. After starting the 2015 season as the club's senior defensive assistant, Allen assumed coordinator duties in Week 11. As New Orleans rallied to win three of their final four contests, Allen's unit contributed to finishing strong as the defense surrendered 35.1 total net yards per game below the overall season average, including 25.1 fewer yards per game in stopping the run. New Orleans also held opponents to a season-low 17 points in two of the final four contests.
Prior to his return to New Orleans, Allen served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 2012-14. In his second season at the helm, Allen guided a defense that recorded 38 sacks, 13 more than 2012. Allen's group limited opposing offenses to just five runs of 20-or-more yards, tied for the fewest in the league, and kept opponents to less than two yards per carry three times.
Allen spent the 2011 season as Defensive Coordinator of the Denver Broncos, leading a defense that propelled Denver to win the AFC West Division title and advance to the AFC Divisional Round with a win in the AFC Wild Card Round. The defense produced four Pro Bowl selections as rookie linebacker Von Miller joined CB Champ Bailey, S Brian Dawkins and DE Elvis Dumervil on the AFC squad. Miller set what was the team's rookie record with 11.5 sacks en route to AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. The Broncos' 41 sacks marked the unit's most since 2000.
Allen spent five season with New Orleans as an assistant from 2006-10 before returning in 2015. His first opportunity leading an NFL position group arose in 2008 with the Saints, elevating from assistant defensive line coach (2006-07) to secondary coach (2008-10) in New Orleans. In his second season as secondary coach, Allen's tutelage with the defensive backfield helped the Saints finish the season as World Champions following a victory in Super Bowl XLIV.
Allen contributed to a defensive coaching staff that engineered significant improvement from 2009-10, when the club went 24-8 in the regular season, qualified for the playoffs both times and captured Super Bowl XLIV. Under Allen's direction in 2010, the Saints allowed an NFL-low 13 touchdown passes, while New Orleans ranked fourth in both opponent net yards per game (306.3) and pass defense (193.9) and fifth in opponent third down efficiency (34.5). Safety Roman Harper was selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl and cornerback Jabari Greer recorded two interceptions with one brought back for a touchdown. In 2009, Allen tutored a secondary that played a key role in helping the Saints to the club's first Super Bowl victory. A revamped unit accounted for an NFL-high five interception returns for touchdowns and totaled 21 picks with two starters being selected to the Pro Bowl. Opposing quarterbacks managed a meager 68.6 passer rating against the Saints, which ranked No. 3 in the NFL. While serving as assistant defensive line coach from 2006-07, Allen helped develop a unit that ranked as one of the defense's strengths. During that stretch, the front four combined for 49.5 sacks, ten forced fumbles and ten recoveries.
Allen's first NFL coaching tenure occurred in 2002, where he spent the next four seasons aiding the defensive staff of the Atlanta Falcons in defensive quality control and defensive assistant capacities, spending time working with secondary and the defensive line. In 2004, Atlanta led the NFL for the first time in club history with 48 sacks, and in 2002, Allen's first year with the Falcons, he assisted in coaching the defensive backfield, as Atlanta tied for third in the NFL with 24 interceptions. Allen entered the coaching ranks at his alma mater, Texas A&M, as a graduate assistant in 1996, working with the defensive backs, before rising to secondary coach at Tulsa (2000).
A native of Hurst, Texas, Allen prepped collegiately at Texas A&M, starting each of the final 21 games of his career at safety for the Aggies. Following his collegiate career, Allen signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent, spending training camp with the club.
Allen and his wife, Alisson, have two children – Layla and Garrison.
