Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is in his second season with the team. Here are the top three storylines to follow during Organized Team Activities.
The Chicago Bears will return to Halas Hall on Wednesday to begin Phase 3 of the offseason program. This week will start the voluntary portion of Organized Team Activities (OTAs), starting the first of two three-day sessions for the team (May 27-29 and June 2-4).
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will have plenty of new faces on his unit this season, making OTAs an important time to install the foundational parts of his scheme while also emphasizing the fundamentals across all three levels of the defense.
Here are the top three defensive storylines to follow throughout OTAs.
Fundamentals and Technique
This may sound elementary, especially in the NFL, but the Bears are banking on better coaching to help upgrade this Bears defense, including the pass rush. It's starts with prioritizing the fundamentals and technique.
ESPN's Courtney Cronin detailed what specifically the team will look to accomplish first before going over scheme, fronts or where players will line up.
- Improving get-off -- a player's ability to drive off their dominant leg to get up field.
- Body lean -- using a front- and side-angle video to see which players are pushing and generating more power while in the process of rushing.
- Putting those things together to finish in the backfield and disrupt the quarterback.
The Bears won't know if the extra attention on the smaller details will pay dividends in OTAs, but it can't hurt to go back to the basics when trying to find a solution for the team's pass rush woes.
Secondary Shuffle
Allen will get to deploy two new safeties in Coby Bryant and Dillon Thieneman this season. How the two grow and develop familiarity with each other will be a key emphasis throughout OTAs, training camp and into the regular season.
The Bears' availability at the cornerback position is also worth monitoring. Kyler Gordon is reportedly dealing with another soft-tissue injury, so keeping track of his health will be important. If Gordon doesn't participate in the voluntary workouts, then that gives opportunities to Josh Blackwell and rookie Malik Muhammad, who has been cross training at nickel and outside corner.
Speaking of the outside cornerbacks, Jaylon Johnson dealt with series of injuries last season. He usually doesn't attend the voluntary portion of OTAs, but knowing where he is at physically heading into May, June and July will be a talking point to follow.
Tyrique Stevenson has a big year ahead of him, as he enters the final season in his rookie contract. With Johnson presumably out, Stevenson will get the opportunity to play in the Bears' primary cornerback spot.
New Linebackers
The middle of the Bears' defense will feature some new faces during OTAs. Devin Bush replaces Tremaine Edmunds, who is now with the New York Giants, and T.J. Edwards is still working back from a fractured fibula, which likely means D'Marco Jackson takes the other linebacking spot. Noah Sewell also won't be available after he tore his Achilles against the 49ers in Week 17.
There is also 2025 fourth-round draft pick Ruben Hyppolite II and rookie Keyshaun Elliott, who the Bears selected in the fifth round. Both these players will likely play alongside each other or gets reps with the first team in base formations.
Seeing how all these players communicate and work together in different team settings will be something to watch.
