Ben Johnson is ready to be the next head coach of the Chicago Bears, and is already assembling his staff with some familiar faces in mind.
Johnson is looking to hire former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen as his defensive coordinator and former Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi as his special teams coordinator, according to an ESPN report. Johnson has some familiarity with Rizzi, having been on the same staff in Miami when Rizzi was the special teams coach and Johnson was the assistant quarterbacks and wide receivers coach. Both coached when Lions head coach Dan Campbell was the interim head coach in Miami.
Johnson and Allen were never on the same staff, but the connection with Campbell is there. Both coaches coached with Campbell in their careers: Johnson with Campbell in Miami and Detroit and Allen with Campbell in New Orleans under Sean Payton.
Allen has an experienced pedigree as a defensive coordinator, having a defense in the top 10 in yards allowed per game twice with the Saints as defensive coordinator in 2020 and 2021. New Orleans also ranked in the top five in points allowed per game in both . those years. He called the Saints’ defensive plays from 2015 to 2021 before assuming head coaching responsibilities, going 18-25 in three seasons with the Saints without a playoff appearance.
Rizzi was the interim head coach when Allen was fired in November, going 3-5 to finish the season in New Orleans. He was special teams coordinator and assistant head coach for the Dolphins and Saints.
