Dennis Allen knew the barrage was coming, a flurry of “What now?” questions awaiting as he began his first full day of troubleshooting after the Chicago Bears lost safety Coby Bryant to a significant knee injury this week. Allen knew it would be months before he’d again have Bryant available on his chessboard and that his homework had just intensified.Thus, when he entered the Halas Hall media room 45 minutes ahead of Tuesday morning’s practice, he flashed a knowing grin and threw both hands onto the lectern.“Go ahead, guys,” Allen said, bypassing any opening statement and diving right into the Bryant problem.For the next five minutes, the queries came rapid fire.All eyes are on Caleb Williams entering Year 2 under Ben JohnsonKevin FishbainWhat was Allen’s emotional reaction after Bryant suffered a knee hyperextension and bone bruise during Monday’s padded practice, injuries likely to sideline him well into October?Who’s the next man up in the Bears’ secondary?What does this mean for rookie safety Dillon Thieneman?And how might the ripple effect of Bryant’s absence also impact fourth-round pick Malik Muhammad?“Nothing ever goes exactly how you planned, right?” Allen said. “You have to be able to adjust. You have to be able to change course when needed. It’s just part of what we do.”So Allen vowed to lean into his problem-solving experience to steer the Bears through these choppy waters. And most importantly, as he had already done with the entire defensive unit, he delivered a tone-setting message.“Everybody asks, ‘What do you want to see out of this guy? What do you want to see out of that guy? What do you want to see out of this guy?’” Allen said. “You know what I want to see? I want to see 11 frickin’ dudes on the field competing their asses off. If we all do that, I feel pretty confident we’ll get them to the right spot.”Just like that, purpose had been re-established for the defense even with acknowledgment that Bryant’s exit for the foreseeable future will be a significant blow.Bears rookie safety Dillon Thieneman will have a new partner in the secondary with veteran Coby Bryant out of action for eight to 10 weeks. (Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)Bryant, after all, had quickly established himself at Halas Hall as a dynamic playmaker and leader, a Super Bowl champion with the Seahawks who had drawn praise throughout the spring and into the early days of training camp for his aggressive playing style.“Obviously it sucks to lose a guy like that for any particular time,” Allen said. “He’s a big part of what we have planned to do.”Added linebacker Devin Bush: “In this life of football, you never know what happens. Obviously, whoever’s backing him up has to step up now.”Enter Cam Lewis, himself a newcomer after joining the Bears in free agency in March following seven seasons in Buffalo. Lewis’ scouting report is solid but not spectacular. Smart. Instinctive. Versatile. He’s been a special teams standout and a spot starter. But he’s the kind of selfless, multi-dimensional player teams love to keep around in case of an emergency.The problem is, ahead of even the first preseason game, the Bears have needed to lean on Lewis for two emergencies. First, he had been called upon to fill in at nickel corner, plugging a hole there as Kyler Gordon’s indefinite stint on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list with a calf injury drags on.Now, Lewis is needed even more at safety, with Thieneman leaning into his new partner’s experience.“He definitely knows how to play in the back end, knows different tendencies, knows how to work well with other guys,” Thieneman said. “He’s another guy I’ve been asking questions, just to get his viewpoint on the game.”Bryant’s injury leaves the Bears even thinner at safety with Elijah Hicks (shin) also carrying a PUP designation through the early stages of camp. The depth pieces at that position aren’t exactly household names.• Anthony Johnson Jr. — fourth-year vet, four career starts, on his third team.• Skyler Thomas — undrafted rookie from Oregon State.• Gervarrius Owens — fourth-year vet, fourth team, has been mostly a practice-squad guy.Thieneman, meanwhile, has worked into the spotlight, flashing the play speed and feel for the game the Bears fell in love with during the pre-draft process. But he also has participated in all of two NFL padded practices to this point with a flood of information still coming at him.“There’s a lot to learn in the National Football League,” Allen said. “There is a lot going on. The volume of what we do is more than what most rookies have ever done before. The volume of what they’re seeing from our offense is (also) going to be more than what they’re used to seeing.”In other words, the Bears are taking a patient approach and keeping early expectations with Thieneman measured.“Everything’s starting to slow down,” Thieneman said. “I’m starting to pick up things, (understand) tendencies from the offense and just building more connection with the guys on defense.”And Muhammad? Well, he’s again receiving trial reps at slot cornerback, pushed to heighten the competition there, which also includes Jaylon Jones and Josh Blackwell.As he cross-trains inside, Muhammad will need to show sharpened anticipation, fast reaction time and good vision. Growing pains are expected.“I want to see him go out and perform,” Allen said. “I want to see him go out and compete. I want to see him play physical in the run game. I want to see him be sticky in coverage.”The arrival of Week 1 is now barely four weeks away. The clock is ticking for the defense to find answers.Still, most of August is left for the Bears to attack their to-do lists, to continue navigating around obstacles both big and small and to learn who they want to be.Allen will wish for the quickest possible return for Bryant. At the same time, he remains on a mission to get 11 frickin’ dudes competing their asses off.“That’s what this time of year is all about,” Allen said. “This is about developing the culture and the way you’re going to play.”Even if that task became significantly more difficult this week.