The Chargers’ Keenan Allen warms up before a 2023 game against the Bears at SoFi Stadium.
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Keenan Allen fixes one of the Bears’ most pressing short-term problems — and allows them to address their big-picture ones, too.
When the Bears traded a fourth-round pick for the Chargers receiver on Thursday night, they made their receiver room better in Week 1. Before Thursday, their leading receiver not named DJ Moore boasted just 168 receiving yards last year.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus will enter the season on the hot seat, even with a rookie quarterback under center. Allen will help the Bears win more games — something Eberflus desperately needs to do to keep his job in 2025.
Allen, who is expected to take his physical at Halas Hall on Saturday, might have a lot to play for in 2024, too — he’s in the final year of his contract, though it wouldn’t be surprising if the soon-to-be 32-year-old and the Bears examined a short-term extension. If they can’t reach an agreement, the Bears would be in line for a compensatory pick were Allen to leave after one season.
Even if he’s not here long, Allen’s presence allows the Bears to focus on addressing important big-picture issues. He and Moore would be a tremendous welcome gift to USC quarterback Caleb Williams should the Bears, as expected, draft him first overall.
The Bears have assembled an offense that will give Williams plenty of options, should they draft him. Moore finished sixth in the NFL with 1,364 receiving yards last year, while Allen was 11th with 1,243. Cole Kmet was seventh among tight ends in receptions in 2023, while new addition Gerald Everett, who will be the team’s backup and play in two tight-end sets alongside Kmet, was 18th. New running back D’Andre Swift was 22nd in his position group in receptions.
The Bears’ offense can get even more lethal between now and the rookie minicamp, too. Three receivers are expected to be drafted in the top 10 next month: Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison, LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze. The Bears were interested in adding one of the with the No. 9 overall pick — and still could be. Adding one of them to Moore and Allen would create one of the most potent receiving trios in franchise history.
The Bears will have competition, though. The Cardinals, at No. 4, are expected to take Harrison. The Chargers, who pick fifth, need a receiver after trading Allen and cutting Mike Williams. The Titans and Falcons — who pick seventh and eighth, respectively — made big-money receiver signings this week but could trade their selections to someone who will.
Having Allen means the Bears don’t need to panic if the three receivers don’t make it all the way to No. 9 overall. At least three quarterbacks — including Williams — are expected to be picked in the top eight. Add another three receivers, and the Bears figure to have their choice of college players at two other major positions of need: edge rusher and offensive tackle.
Notre Dame’s Joe Alt, Penn State’s Olu Fashanu and Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga will be picked in the top half of the draft and would be considered an upgrade over Braxton Jones at left tackle. The Bears are doing their homework on all three — coach Matt Eberflus was at the Oregon State pro day earlier this week.
Alabama’s Dallas Turner and UCLA’s Laiatu Latu, the top edge rushers in the draft, could be available. The Bears still haven’t replaced Yannick Ngakoue, who became a free agent after one year with the team. They’re expected to sign a rotational defensive end before the draft, but it shouldn’t be anyone who’d preclude them from also using a draft pick at the position.
If general manager Ryan Poles has too many options, that’s a good thing, too. The Bears aren’t scheduled to pick between No. 9 and 75 — and at all past No. 122. Moving down from No. 9 would give them extra picks and solve that problem. Trading quarterback Justin Fields would add an extra pick, too, though likely not a significant one.