Should the Bears Bring Back Keenan Allen? Reasons for and Against It
The Chicago Bears have already been very busy in the early stages of this offseason. They have completely revamped their coaching staff, most notably with the addition of Ben Johnson as the team’s new head coach. However, the work is just beginning for Ryan Poles, Ben Johnson, and the rest of this new coaching staff as far as this offseason is concerned. There are going to be difficult decisions made about a number of key players who are both currently on the team and those on the free-agent market. One of the most critical decisions that will have to be made by this new regime is what to do with veteran receiver Kennan Allen, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March. So, should the Bears try to retain one of their best receiver talents from 2024, or should they let him walk in free agency? Here are some reasons for each option that the Bears will have to debate over.
Reasons to keep Allen
The main reason the Bears should want to bring back Kennan Allen is simple: he was quite good last year. The connection between him and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams took some time to develop, but once it did, these two were constantly on the same page. Allen led the team with seven receiving touchdowns and was second on the team in receiving yards and receptions only behind D.J. Moore. He also tallied two games with multiple touchdown receptions. It was clear that Allen served as Williams’ security blanket in high-pressure moments. Whenever the Bears needed to convert on a critical third or fourth down, it seemed as though Allen was constantly available for Williams. That is an extremely important quality to have when there is a rookie quarterback at the helm. That calming presence that Allen carries with him clearly rubbed off on Williams, and if you are the Bears, that is a very intriguing reason to bring him back for another year of development with Williams. Speaking of development, Allen served as a great resource for another rookie, Rome Odunze, to learn from. Some may say that Allen blocked Odunze’s development on the field last season by taking reps from him, and we will get into that later, but what Allen can offer off the field to a player like Odunze is tough to find in many other places. Allen’s career resume is impressive, to say the least. He has been to six pro bowls, won Comeback Player of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year, and is widely regarded as one of the best route runners in the NFL. If there is anybody that the Bears should want their young receiver to learn from when it comes to being successful in the NFL, there are not many people out there better than Kennan Allen.
Reasons to let go of Allen
There is no doubt that Allen was a calming presence to many of the rookies and young players throughout this Bears roster last season. However, Ryan Poles and this new coaching staff have shown they are extremely interested in winning now. It is fair to question how much more quality play Allen has left in him at this late stage of his career. You can point to last season as proof that there is still gas in the tank, but the NFL changes so much on a year-to-year basis, and it is nearly impossible to predict when a player will start to decline and by how much they will do so. The more pressing issues concerning Allen from the Bears’ perspective have to be his effect on the receiver depth chart and the need to address other positions on the roster. As mentioned above, Allen was a great source of comfort for Rome Odunze, but it is worth wondering if Allen is hurting Odunze more than he is helping him in terms of actual play on the field. Odunze seemed to underperform compared to his expectations for his rookie season, and part of that might be able to be pointed at the fact that Allen was a more reliable target than Odunze was. If the Bears value getting Odunze more involved in the offense, it could be in their interest to let Allen go to clear the way for more opportunities for Odunze. The other major factor at play here is that there are much more pressing needs on this Bears’ roster than the wide receiver position. With Moore, Odunze, and tight end Cole Kmet all being under contract for the foreseeable future, Caleb Williams has a solid pass-catching corps to rely on for the next few years, which is already in place. However, the interior of both the offensive and defensive lines are in desperate need of upgrades, so it could be more appealing to Ryan Poles to spend his free agent money trying to build up the offensive and defensive lines instead of offering that money to Allen. Lastly, the Bears could look to find another pass catcher in either free agency (for less money than Allen) or find one in the draft where there is a relatively deep receiver class with one of their two picks at the top of the second round.
