Colts Defensive Coordinator Candidates: Dennis Allen

Dennis Allen may not be a great head coach, but he is certainly a strong defensive coordinator option for the Colts.

Oct 7, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen reacts during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts are looking for a new defensive coordinator, as the team announced they parted ways with Gus Bradley after three seasons in the role.

The Colts' search for a new coordinator should be interesting, as some personnel around the league could see this as being a lame-duck situation with a head coach and a general manager on the hot seat. Still, there are only 32 of these jobs available in the league, so the Colts should be able to nab a quality hire regardless of speculation around the position.

This new series will profile several candidates the Colts are likely to look into in their search. Next up is Dennis Allen, a former head coach that could intrigue Shane Steichen this offseason.

Background

More from @NFLMatchup — #Saints-#Falcons tomorrow...

We went back to the Week 11 tape vs. ATL to highlight Dennis Allen’s defense on 3rd down.

Multiple pressure fronts + an aggressive secondary winning with communication & technique. @gregcosell @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/wIvKB69cmC

— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) December 5, 2020

Unlike other candidates in this series, Allen never played in the NFL. He was a safety for Texas A&M back in the early 1990's but, outside of one season spent on the Buffalo Bills' practice squad, Allen's career ended there. With his playing days behind him, Allen shifted into coaching back in 1996.

He bounced around the college coaching circuit until 2002 before landing his first role in the NFL, working under Wade Phillips as a defensive quality control coach on the Atlanta Falcons. He climbed all the way up to defensive assistant in his four seasons with the team before joining Sean Payton's staff with the New Orleans Saints as an assistant defensive line coach.

Allen spent time as a defensive line coach and as a secondary coach in New Orleans before landing his first defensive coordinator job with the Denver Broncos in 2011. The Broncos' defense thrived under Allen and their success landed him his first head coaching job with the then-Oakland Raiders in 2012. Allen's Raiders struggled mightily in his three years with the team, and he was let go early in the 2014 season.

Allen reunited with the Saints in 2015, working under Payton yet again, and served as the team's defensive coordinator from 2015 until 2021. His Saints' defenses continually ranked in the top half of the NFL in this span and consistently were among the best in the league in sacks and takeaways year in and year out. He was promoted to head coach in 2022 following Payton's retirement, where he served in that role until he was fired this past season.

Allen may not be a great head coach (career 26-53 record), but his defenses have always been among the best in the league in his time with the Saints and the Broncos.

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Why The Colts Should Have Interest

"Keep your focus," - Dennis Allen after the #Saints 24-0 win vs. the Raiders 👏 pic.twitter.com/DEqBxT3A7T

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 31, 2022

Allen is an interesting case in this series, as he doesn't appear to have a working relationship with either Shane Steichen or Chris Ballard. He also doesn't have any ties to the Tampa 2/Seattle Cover 3 coaching tree that Ballard covets.

Despite those drawbacks, Allen does fit a lot of what Steichen likely wants in a defensive coordinator. Steichen is still a relatively young head coach with his hands full on offense, so having a coordinator with 13 years of experience leading a team/a defense would be a massive asset. Allen's past failures as a head coach would also make him less likely to be poached, which is an ideal dynamic for offensive head coaches.

Another point is that Steichen has had some past struggles, particularly with designing a passing game, against Allen's defenses. Steichen's offense averaged just 5.1 yards per attempt in a Colts' 11-point loss to the Saints last year. In 2022 with the Philadelphia Eagles, Steichen's offense only managed a meager 10 points against Allen's defense.

Allen has been a frustrating opponent for Steichen over the years, which could make him a prime candidate for the defensive coordinator job. Add in his fiery personality and his experience as a defensive coach, and he appears to be a great fit for what the Colts could look for. His system is vastly different from what the Colts have had in the past under Ballard, but he could be able to maximize the defensive line that Ballard has spent millions of dollars on in recent years.

Overall, Allen would be a massive shift philosophically for this Colts' defense, but that might be exactly what the team needs right now. If Steichen has a heavy input on this upcoming search, it's reasonable to assume that Allen would be near the top of the list of candidates. He checks every single box aside from past experience working together.

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