Dennis Allen knows exactly what’s coming for the Bears’ depleted secondary in Thursday’s joint practice and he’s not backing down
The Chicago Bears have a tough matchup coming up in Thursday’s joint practice against the Cincinnati Bengals with a depleted secondary set to compete against Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
The Chicago Bears wrapped up a short practice on Wednesday and will now get set to travel to Cincinnati ahead of Thursday’s joint practice against the Bengals, which will be a big opportunity for this team to see how they actually stand relative to other teams.
Ben Johnson and his staff got a small taste of it last Saturday in the team’s 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns in the preseason opener. However, that was with most of the starters sitting out on the sidelines. Tomorrow’s practice will be a real litmus test for this entire roster, especially those on the defensive side of the ball.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s unit will face a daunting challenge when quarterback Joe Burrow, wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, running back Chase Brown, tight end Mike Gesicki, and five returning starting offensive linemen all line up across from Chicago’s defense.
“It’ll be a great test for us and I’m just looking for us to go out there and compete,” Allen told reporters on Wednesday. “And see where we stack up against what I think is probably going to be one of the better offenses in our league.”
Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins against a depleted Chicago Bears secondary will be the biggest test to watch
There’s plenty of head-to-head battles to watch on the field tomorrow between the Bears and Bengals, but the biggest one is easily going to be how Chicago’s depleted secondary looks against Chase and Higgins.
“I think our ability to line up and cover elite receivers in our league,” Allen said when asked what he’s looking to see. “And see where we’re at in terms of being able to do that. We play some talented receiving cores in our own division. This will be a great test for us and opportunity for us to step up.”
The Bears have been dealt a rough hand with the injuries this team has been forced to overcome at both the cornerback and safety position. Tomorrow, the Bears will likely be without three starting players in the secondary in Coby Bryant (for sure, who’s out four-six months), Kyler Gordon, and Tyrique Stevenson. Not to mention other depth players still dealing with injuries of their own.
“This is a helluva challenge for all of our defensive backs that have to go up against this set of receivers,” Allen added. “Can we play man coverage against these guys? Can we run with these guys. I’m talking about everybody.”
Injuries are no excuse in this league. It’s a next man up mentality for all 32 teams and this isn’t something the Bears are new to. Last season, Chicago’s defense was ravaged by injuries and discovered capable players that were willing to step up, such as Pro Bowl alternate CB Nahshon Wright. The question is, who’s going to step up this time?
“It’s not the recipe that we intended to cook the meal with, and yet we’ve got to deal with what we have,” Allen said. “The guys that are out there, we gotta get them better.”
Dennis Allen is eager to see more out Jaylon Johnson
The one advantage the Bears have on Thursday to combat the Bengals’ top WR duo – that they didn’t have last year when Chase and Higgins combined for 232 yards in the Week 9 shootout – is their top cornerback, Jaylon Johnson.
After missing 10 games due to injury last season, Johnson is back to being fully healthy and eager to reclaim his spot as one of the top cornerbacks in the league. It’s going to be easier said than done, but this challenge will be Johnson’s chance to prove that he’s still capable of locking down an elite wide receiver again in one-on-one coverage.
“I’ve seen improvement out of Jaylon,” Allen explained. “I’ve seen some flashes that say ‘Man, he’s looking a little bit more like you expected him to look.’ And yet, there’s still a lot of growth. The system that we’re in is a lot different than what he was in before. I think we’re still growing, we’re still learning. But, I’ve seen him take to what we’re trying to get done and I’ve seen him improve.”
Even bigger test for rookie Malik Muhammad II
The real player that’s going to be under the spotlight, and microscope, is rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad II. Quarterbacks and elite wide receivers always take note when a young buck steps up to the plate and aren’t afraid to go their way often. And I’m sure Dennis Allen will be requesting that happens a lot on Thursday to see how his rookie handles being thrown into the fire.
“I think he’s got the right mindset, I think he’s got some confidence, I think he’s aggressive in coverage,” Allen said of Muhammad. “Again, this will be a great test to go up against these receivers and see where we’re at.”
Muhammad made his NFL debut last Saturday, playing 19 snaps in the slot and 12 snaps out-wide, and was tested five times allowing four receptions for 26 yards. With Gordon and Stevenson expected to remain on the shelf tomorrow, Muhammad could split time at both positions against either of Cincinnati’s top WRs.
If Allen plans this session right, Muhammad is going to be an active player that will be tested multiple times to see what he’s actually made of. And the same goes for the other depth options on this team as the Bears look to get a clear evaluation of their secondary.
