Player and Scheme Fit Say New Bears

Keenan Allen and the new Bears offense of Shane Waldron are viewed as ideally suited for success say new Chicago players familiar with both.

Mystery is a part of every NFL offseason and also the transition into a new season.

New players, new coaches and new schemes all add up to huge question marks and the Bears face this with wide receiver Keenan Allen coming to the team and with former Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron taking over the play calling.

New players brought in by the Bears gave a bit of a preview of what to expect during the past few days of free agency.

Bears free agent linebacker acquisition Amen Ogbongbemiga played on the Chargers with Allen and was elated over the thought of his 31-year-old teammate joining him with the Bears.

"Dog, all day," Ogbongbemiga. "Got it every day. From Day 1 of training camp to Week 15 or wherever he stopped practicing. He gave it his all and I'm looking at myself like, 'This dude still got it.' He got a lot of years in the tank.

"That's what people don't understand. They might look at his age and question him but, nah, he's got the juice."

Ogbongbemiga was with the Chargers during Allen's 106-catch season in 2021 and his career-best last season of 108 catches and predicts more success even for a player who will be 32 when the season begins.

"He's going to bring some special moments to the city of Chicago," Ogbongbemiga pedicted. "They are going to love him. I'm excited. I couldn't hold my smile in when I saw the news. I was just so like, I couldn’t believe I'd be joining up with him again.

"It's just one of those dudes you play with and you're excited you play with and you want to be glad and you want to say that I played with Keenan Allen. He's that type of player. I can't wait. I can't wait to get another opportunity with him."

Former Chargers, Rams and Seahawks tight end Gerald Everett had the same reaction after signing with the Bears, and then seeing the news of the trade on Thursday night.

"Excited, excited—he was one of the first guys that I actually intertwined with when I joined the Chargers in 2022," Everett said. "It's good to make this transition with a familiar face. A few familiar faces, rather."

Now Everett is back in an offense not just with Allen but one coordinated by former Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Everett with with the Seahawks one season between two stints in L.A., one with each of the city's teams. Waldron was the passing game coordinator with the Rams while Everett was there.

"I think they're gonna get what they bargained for," Everett said. "I think it's gonna be a good situation this year. I think we're gonna have a lot of production.

"We're gonna have a lot of cohesion in our room. The sky's the limit for us—especially with Shane calling the plays."

Everett made 48 receptions for 478 yards with the Seahawks during his one season in Waldon's attack. The offense came Sean McVay's Rams attack and he had 127 catches for 1,389 yards and eight TDs with the Rams in four years.

"I've had history with Shane with the Rams and Seahawks," he said. "I've been productive every year in the league. I don't see that stopping any time soon. I have to be optimistic, especially with Shane at the helm of things."

Everett had Waldron as his tight ends coach with the Rams in 2017 as a rookie, before Waldron moved up to passing game coordinator.

"I saw it coming, meeting the guy my rookie year even at the combine," Everett said. "I got a good sense of him. He's like a machine. He's like a computer almost, just the way he processes information and the way he relays it to us as players.

"I couldn't say enough about Shane. Obviously (me) coming to Chicago, he's a big reason for that, as well."

New Bears center Coleman Shelton also was with Waldron on the Rams. While he wasn't coached by Waldron specifically, he did play in the offensive system Waldron is using.

"He comes from that tree of offenses and I feel like I fit that scheme well and just go out and play hard and compete, that's all we can do," Shelton said.

The wide zone run blocking scheme has been altered a bit by different teams but is essentially the same.

"I've always liked how you can stretch a defense," Shelton said. "It looks complex but it feels simple to the offense.

"There's a bunch of different things that come off of certain formations and you can always just fall back on your rules. It feels complex but it's simple at the same time."

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