Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen didn't like all of his pieces after last season, and the Bears will apparently have five different starters against the Carolina Panthers Sunday when the NFL season begins.
Not all of them were intended to be there, of course. Injuries have made the interior of the Bears secondary a total question mark. It's safe to say Allen got what he wanted with a new secondary, but only two starting secondary players are the ones he wanted there to start the year.In fact, considering they led NFL lead in interceptions last year with 23, the Bears' secondary situation looks closer to a catastrophe than a planned intentional rehab. They would have been better off bringing back everyone. The injuries to Coby Bryant and Kyler Gordon altered everything, but the GM and coach need to plan better for such disasters.
The Bears are starting two rookies and another newcomer. The newcomer will either be Cam Lewis or Xavier Woods. Most likely it won't be Woods, who was relegated to second team most of his time in Bears camp and preseason. Lewis can play either slot cornerback or safety but is better suited to the slot and the Bears had him as starting safety through most of camp and preseason, Woods wasn't even with a team when training camp began. He was essentially a street free agent. .@CoachWannstedt's big question about the Bears defense is how much confidence Dennis Allen has in his secondary to cover 1-on-1 so that he can get aggressive with blitzes when pressure is needed."Dennis Allen is in a tough spot," Wanny says. pic.twitter.com/ghZb8PcOpi— 104.3 The Score (@thescorechicago) September 1, 2026How common is two rookie DBs starting?Using rookie safety Dillon Thieneman at safety and rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad in the slot as starters is a complete rarity, based on NFL depth charts.
