LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Dennis Allen has been in problem-solving mode since the Chicago Bears opened training camp.
Without Kyler Gordon, who was placed on the physically unable to perform list after what general manager Ryan Poles called "a delay" in his recovery from a calf injury, Allen was forced to find another player who could fill in indefinitely at nickel corner.
For the first four days of camp, that concern appeared to be assuaged. Then came another.
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During one-on-one drills Aug. 3, safety Coby Bryant left practice because of a hyperextended left knee, bone bruise and small fracture. Though Bryant is not expected to need surgery, the recovery timetable is anywhere from eight to 10 weeks, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Allen once again was in mitigation mode as he braced for the barrage of questions that came from the domino effect created by these injuries.
Would Cam Lewis, who had been filling it at nickel, move to safety? Who now plays slot corner? What does Bryant's injury mean for rookie safety Dillon Thieneman? What does he want to see out of Player X, Y, Z as he calls on players further down the depth chart?
Allen aimed to answer every inquiry with one retort.
"You know what I want to see?" Allen said. "I want to see 11 frickin' dudes on the field competing their ass off. And if we all do that, then I feel pretty confident that we'll get them to the right spot."
Having to pivot and adjust to a rotating cast of defensive backs is hardly new for Allen, who enters his second season as the Bears' defensive coordinator. Allen has never had a training camp practice with all of his starters in the secondary healthy at the same time.
In 2025, cornerback Jaylon Johnson was sidelined from camp because of a groin injury, while Gordon missed most of the preseason because of a soft tissue ailment. That's no different this camp. In addition to Gordon's and Bryant's injuries, the Bears' top backup safety, Elijah Hicks, opened camp on the PUP list. Lewis, who has since moved to safety to fill Bryant's spot, exited Saturday's practice during red zone drills because of a lower-body injury. Chicago lost two backup DBs -- Gervarrius Owens and Dallis Flowers -- to significant leg injuries.