Dennis Allen’s defense still struggling with speed at Bears training camp, but here’s the silver lining most are missing
Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen took a measured effort to improve the defensive speed of his unit this offseason, yet Chicago’s defense continues to struggle in that department. And it might not be a bad thing.
Training camp for the Chicago Bears has largely been an offensive showcase. Caleb Williams and the young rising stars on that side of the ball have taken full command of Ben Johnson’s offense going into Year 2 under the scheme, routinely getting the better of Dennis Allen’s defense through the first week-plus of practices.
The defense did have one strong day on Saturday, albeit in a rainy, sloppy practice outside in the elements where they got the better of Williams and the offense. But overall, Allen’s unit has struggled with the main thing it was deemed destined to fix this offseason: speed.
So what does that mean for the defensive side of the ball that was expected to make major strides of improvement after a disappointing season last year?
The same issue the Chicago Bears’ defense struggled with in 2025 is showing up again
Go back to last season and the problems are familiar. Allen’s defense struggled in man coverage, struggled keeping up with faster wide receivers, faster pass catchers, and faster running backs. And struggled to overcome injuries throughout the entire unit. All of those areas were deficient. That’s why a key emphasis this offseason for Allen was adding new faces with a concentrated effort in improving the team speed on the defensive side of the ball.
He’s been very open that speed was a major concern for the defense and one they wanted to get fixed. Chicago inserted 18 new defenders to the unit, and yet speed still continues to be a struggle. The difference this time, though, says more about the offense than the defense and it’s the reason why fans shouldn’t be too concerned.
“I think it’s night and day at this point from where it was a year ago. It’s challenging for us and at times can be frustrating for us,” Dennis Allen told reporters on Tuesday when asked how much further along the offense is in camp. “It’s a huge challenge for us every single day. The speed that we are seeing at the skill position. All of this helps us get ready for the regular season.”
That’s a similar sentiment veteran cornerback Jaylon Johnson shared last week when he said the Bears offense he’s facing in camp right now is the best offense he’s faced in practice in his seven years with the team.
As bad as it looks right now seeing those players lose one-on-one matchups even with pads on, the Bears are still showing progress on defense. The thinking is straightforward: because they’re facing better speed in practice every day, they’re going to be better prepared when the regular season arrives.
Secondary losses are complicating Allen’s plans yet again and need to be factored into this conversation
The Bears do have a lot of returning starters on the defensive side of the ball, including Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson. But Chicago is now without three starters on defense, with Coby Bryant expected to miss 8 to 10 weeks due to a knee injury suffered on Monday, T.J. Edwards still on the NFI, and Kyler Gordon still on the shelf with a calf injury.
Allen said Bryant was set to be a big part of what he planned to do defensively this season. That’s no secret. The Bears built their entire free agency and offseason approach around improving the defensive side of the ball, and Bryant was a big part of that. Losing him for the short-term is a significant blow to that vision.
Cam Lewis, another free agent addition, will now step up as Bryant’s replacement at safety. At nickel, Jaylon Jones, Josh Blackwell, and rookie Malik Muhammad will be the main three rotating in until Gordon gets back on the field.
Things should eventually start to look up for this defense by going through the fire now
As much as it stings seeing the defense struggle with speed and injuries again, the context matters. Last year, Chicago routinely gave up big plays to speedy receivers like Jameson Williams and Christian Watson, players who frankly the Bears’ reserve defensive backs had no business being on the field with from a pure speed standpoint.
Now, the Bears’ retooled the depth and top-flight speed of their own in wide receiver room is helping get this entire defense prepared. Luther Burden III, Kalif Raymond, Zavion Thomas, and Rome Odunze, among others, are pushing this defense every single day at practice at one of its biggest deficits from a year ago. Getting those reps against this kind of elite speed in practice, rather than waiting for the regular season to experience it, is exactly what Allen’s group needed.
“The best I could do is try to perfect my craft from the line of scrimmage,” Stevenson explained when asked about a one-on-0ne rep he lost against Burden. “At the end of the day, they get paid just like we do to go out there and make them tough catches. Definitely makes mw know I’ve gotta improve on something. Just find a little thing, maybe come out wide on him a little more so he can’t stack? Something like that.”
Time will tell if this actually translates to meaningful improvement for the Bears defense when the games count. But these familiar early struggles shouldn’t cause panic.
The Bears are building the right kind of callouses at camp to prepare for the tough competition later. Not to be cliche, but iron truly does sharpen iron and the Bears’ defense is experiencing all of these frustrating situations at the best time.
