Dennis James Allen (born September 22, 1972) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach and former

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

who is the

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator (DC) is a coach responsible for a gridiron football team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, wit ...

for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He previously served as

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

of the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

and

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

, and has served as an assistant coach for the

Texas A&M Aggies The Texas A&M Aggies are the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "wikt:aggie#Etymology 2, Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also simply referr ...

, Tulsa Golden Hurricane,

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

, and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

Early life and playing career

Born in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

when his father, Grady Allen, was playing for the

, Allen grew up in

Hurst, Texas Hurst is a city in the United States, U.S. state of Texas located in the densely populated portion of northeastern Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County and is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. It i ...

near

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

and graduated from L. D. Bell High School. Allen attended

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

and played as a

on R. C. Slocum's "Wrecking Crew" defense. Allen made an interception in the fourth quarter that secured an 18–9 win for Texas A&M over

rival A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. In the 1994 and 1995 seasons, Allen started the final 21 games of his collegiate career and was part of a defensive unit that ranked in the top five in the nation. Allen earned a B.B.A. in management from Texas A&M’s Mays Business School in 1995. In 1996, Allen signed with the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

as an undrafted free agent but was cut during training camp.

Coaching career

Early coaching career

Allen began his coaching career at his alma mater Texas A&M, as a graduate assistant coach under his former coach R. C. Slocum. Holding that position from 1996 to 1999, Allen worked mostly with the secondary while pursuing a master's degree in

kinesiology Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, Biomechanics, biomechanical, Pathology, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kines ...

from the Texas A&M College of Education. He completed his degree in 1998. From 2000 to 2001, Allen coached the secondary at

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

Atlanta Falcons

With the

, Allen was a defensive quality control coach from 2002 to 2003, then a defensive assistant from 2004 to 2005.

New Orleans Saints (first stint)

Allen then moved to the

, as defensive line coach from 2006 to 2007 before being secondary coach from 2008 to 2010. The Saints won

Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champions New Orleans Saints and the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Indianapolis Colts to decide the National Football League (NFL) c ...

in 2009, in which the Saints ranked 3rd in interceptions despite giving up 321 yards per game.

Denver Broncos

After his success with the Saints' secondary, he was hired to be the

’ defensive coordinator. The Broncos defense was in the bottom half of yards allowed, ranked 23rd, but were 5th in the league in sacks in 2011.

Oakland Raiders

On January 24, 2012,

' general manager Reggie McKenzie hired Allen as the team's 18th head coach. He was the first Raiders defense-oriented head coach since

John Madden John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American professional football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, leading them ...

's retirement after the 1978 season, because the team's longtime former owner

Al Davis Allen R. Davis (July 4, 1929 – October 8, 2011) was an American professional football executive and coach. He was the managing general partner, principal owner and ''de facto'' general manager of the National Football League (NFL) Oakland Rai ...

(until his death during the 2011 season) preferred offensive-minded head coaches. In his first season as head coach, the Raiders struggled as they finished the 2012 season with a record of 4–12. That offseason, the Raiders were facing

salary cap In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Seve ...

problems and had traded away most of their draft picks prior to Allen's arrival, which did not allow him to establish his system with the right players. In the middle of the 2013 season, Allen decided to bench quarterback Terrelle Pryor (who was injured) for undrafted rookie Matt McGloin, in hopes of salvaging the rest of the season. Later, Pryor continued to be benched although he was healthy enough to return. The Raiders finished with a 4–12 record in the 2013 season. On September 29, 2014, following a 38–14 loss to the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

and beginning the 2014 NFL season with 4 straight losses, Allen was fired.

New Orleans Saints (second stint)

The Saints rehired Allen as senior defensive assistant on January 20, 2015. After Rob Ryan was fired later in the season, on November 16, Allen was promoted to

. On November 29, Allen's first game as defensive coordinator, the Saints were defeated by the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

24–6. His defense gave up 362 yards while recording one sack and one interception in the loss. In 2021, Allen briefly stepped in for

Sean Payton Patrick Sean Payton (born December 29, 1963) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he served as the head coach of the Ne ...

as head coach of the Saints after Payton tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. Allen served as head coach during the Saints' Week 15 matchup against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

, where the Saints defeated the Buccaneers on ''Sunday Night Football'', 9–0. Following Sean Payton's retirement on January 25, Allen was promoted to head coach of the New Orleans Saints on February 8, 2022. On December 10, the NFL fined Allen $100,000 for defensive end Cameron Jordan faking an injury in the Week 13 game against the

. The fine was later rescinded after a successful appeal by Jordan. In the 2022 season, he led the team to a 7–10 record. The team improved to a 9–8 mark in the 2023 season but failed to make the postseason. On November 4, 2024, following a 23–22 loss to the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

in Week 9 of the 2024 season (the seventh straight loss for the Saints after a 2–0 start), Allen was fired.

Chicago Bears

On January 28, 2025, the

announced Allen as their defensive coordinator.

Personal life

His father Grady Allen was also a standout

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the Aggies and later in the NFL for the Falcons. Dennis and his wife, Alisson, have a son, Garrison, and a daughter, Layla.

Head coaching record

References

External links

Chicago Bears profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Dennis 1972 births Living people American football safeties Atlanta Falcons coaches Buffalo Bills players Coaches of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) Denver Broncos coaches NFL defensive coordinators New Orleans Saints coaches New Orleans Saints head coaches Oakland Raiders head coaches People from Hurst, Texas Players of American football from Atlanta Players of American football from Tarrant County, Texas Texas A&M Aggies football coaches Texas A&M Aggies football players Tulsa Golden Hurricane football coaches