Although Lambert-Smith has been the team’s biggest standout of the offseason, he is likely to suffer from the team signing Allen on Tuesday, ESPN’s Khris Rhim speculates. Allen is not guaranteed a return to the starting lineup, but he will likely be a key offensive contributor, which would further bury Lambert-Smith on the depth chart.

While he wasn't the same player in 2024, Allen still hauled in 70 catches for 744 yards and seven touchdowns in his lone season with the Bears. Now, he gets to return to familiar ground where he already has a rapport with quarterback Justin Herbert.

Allen spent his first 11 seasons in the NFL with the Chargers before being traded to the Bears last offseason in a salary-cap cutting move.