Keenan Allen has the perfect answer regarding Justin Fields and the Bears' quarterback situation
No one truly knows what's going to happen with Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears' quarterback position. Not even general manager Ryan Poles knows what the final outcome will look like.That's not stopping him from loading up on talent, however. The Bears have made some big moves on offense in free agency, but none have […]
No one truly knows what's going to happen with Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears' quarterback position. Not even general manager Ryan Poles knows what the final outcome will look like.
That's not stopping him from loading up on talent, however. The Bears have made some big moves on offense in free agency, but none have been bigger than the decision to trade for six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, Keenan Allen.
Allen is still one of the league's better receivers, even if he's entering his age-32 season. This is evidenced by the fact he caught 108 passes for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023, despite missing four games. In all, he has the fifth-most receiving yards (10,530), the second-most receptions (904), the eighth-most receiving touchdowns (59), the seventh-most yards per game (75.8), and the third-most first down receptions among 32 qualifying wideouts with at least 743 targets since 2013.
He's a great receiver, but he's also had two very good quarterbacks throughout his entire career in Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert. That kind of stability at such an important position allows everyone to thrive as much as possible. But as we all know, the QB position is far less stable, right now, in Chicago.
That doesn't bother Allen, at all, though.
"No, not really," Allen said when asked if the question at QB worries him. "Because, you know, Justin [Herbert] wasn't for certain when he first got there. We had to battle with him and Tyrod [Taylor] after Philip [Rivers] left. And Tyrod was the guy going into the season and Herbert happened to step up and you know, be as great as he is."
Allen can help improve the offense, especially on third down
Allen has always been known as a chain-mover and a QB-friendly receiver because of his diverse skill set, his understanding of NFL defenses, and his ability to separate thanks to good route-running.
"I know the game," said Allen. "I know the ins and outs. I know the zones. I know how to beat man [coverage]. I know how to play the game. So, I just think I'm friendly for the quarterback because I'll be in the right spots. I know how to communicate with him and my body language is solid too."
He especially takes pride in his ability to make big plays on third down, where the Bears ranked 12th with a 41.2% conversion rate in 2023. Per Sports Info Solutions, Allen's 2.3 yards per route run on third down ranked 10th among 31 wideouts with at least 31 third down targets, last year. His 77.8% first down rate was 15th-best out of the qualifying players, his 24.7 yards per game on third down was eighth-best, and his 0.51 EPA/tgt was also eighth-best.
"Everything," Allen said when asked what it means to be a reliable third down target. "Obviously, as a receiver, you want the ball as much as you can get it. So the more times I can get open, the more chances I get."
Hooking him up with D.J. Moore is going to give teams all kinds of headaches on all downs, but especially third downs. Moore ranked sixth, sixth, fourth, and fourth, respectively, when it comes to all the aforementioned numbers.
Those two, along with tight ends Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett and running backs D'Andre Swift and Khalil Herbert are going to be insanely hard to stop.
"Any time you got two guys that can make plays and beat man coverage, it's gonna be tough – that's any time," said Allen. "… So, the both of both of us together – it's gonna be pretty good…
"… We can be really special. Like I said, you got weapons. You got guys who can beat man [coverage] all over the field. So double teaming one guy is going to be costly for the defense. And I think we can use that as our advantage. Like having a running back that can come out of the backfield, make plays and beat one-on-ones. That's kind of big."
The bottom line is the Bears continue to add playmakers to their roster
And they're adding them, fast. It's a huge credit to what Poles has been able to pull off in just his third season as GM. It typically takes a lot longer than this to flip a roster the way he has, but shrewd moves using the resources he was given has allowed him to make a ton of headway to where, yes, this team should still be better in 2024, no matter who plays quarterback.
And, ultimately, that will be the silver lining when everything is said and done. No matter how it shakes out.
