Ben Johnson just made is biggest hire since becoming Bears head coach. He secured Dennis Allen on Sunday night, per a league source, naming him as the team’s next defensive coordinator.

Let’s not mince words here. It was a huge get.

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Allen comes to Chicago with tons of experience and quality work as a defensive play caller. He has eight seasons specifically as a defensive coordinator and three more running the defense as Saints head coach. Of those 11 seasons, his defenses ranked in the top 10 in scoring seven times.

That’s a solid track record for someone available on the open market. Allen was available after being fired in-season by the Saints, following a two-plus-year stint as head coach.

That tenure, plus his time as Raiders HC, will provide a great resource to Johnson as a first-time head coach. Allen has seen it all on the sideline and knows a great deal about game and clock management, an area where Johnson is green.

Having someone like that on staff and on the sidelines will be helpful in the one area where Johnson’s experience is lacking. While Allen and Johnson don’t have a personal connection, the new defensive coordinator has worked with Aaron Glenn and Dan Campbell, individuals Johnson implicitly trusts, and Johnson said both guys “speak very highly” of Allen.

When he was Lions OC in 2023, Johnson faced the Saints and came away from the experience thoroughly impressed.

“We faced that team a year ago, when he was in New Orleans, and I gained a lot of respect for it,” Johnson said Wednesday. “I think, everywhere he has been along the way, they have been a top third-down team, a top red-zone team. So, there are a lot of pillars about what he does schematically that would be appealing to me.”

Johnson conducted interviews with others, including the Rams’ Aubrey Pleasant and Minnesota’s Daronte Jones, but ended up hiring someone long believed to be the favorite.

Allen’s system should also work well with the skill sets available to him in Chicago. He has historically run a 4-3 base front that plays lots of Cover 1 and Cover 3 on the back end. Chicago’s talent can make that work. The Saints employed bigger defensive ends and plenty of bulk on the interior. The Bears have that in Montez Sweat, Andrew Billings and Gervon Dexter and DeMarcus Walker though they’ll need more of a pass-rush threat at one end spot and depth across the line.

Allen worked with some impressive off-the-ball linebackers, and the Bears have that in T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds, who can play better after an off year by his standards. Allen uses subpackages quite often, with Alontae Taylor playing 718 snaps in the slot in 2023, his last fully running the Saints defense.

He’ll certainly have a say in players the Bears acquire through free agency and the NFL draft, as he installs his system in Chicago. Allen will also be a great resource for Johnson during the week and on game days, as he works through early periods of his time as head coach.

“Quarterback disruption” is one of Johnson’s core defensive philosophies, and Allen has ways of making that work. The Saints ranked third in total takeaways in 2023 and affect the quarterback even when rushing four.

While Johnson will be heavily involved with defense and special teams, which comes with the territory as head coach. He’ll also place trust in Allen and his scheme, allowing him to run the defensive show.

Getting someone with a track record of success will make that much easier, and Johnson has that with Allen’s services secured.