Dennis

Allen

Allen held the same role with the Saints from 2015-2021 before taking over as the Saints’ head coach in 2022. Allen has always been a defensive tactician, holding various coaching roles on that side of the ball since his college coaching days at Tulsa in 2000. Though Allen’s head coaching stint with the Saints ended poorly, he brings experience and respected defensive smarts to new Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s staff.

Allen would be a solid hire for the Bears as they try to get the defense back to where it was before they fired Matt Eberflus mid-season. From 2020 to 2023, Allen’s defense ranked in the top-10 in points allowed every season, and was top 10 in yards allowed in three of those four seasons. It’s not hard to argue that the reason the Saints defense fell apart this season was simply that it got too old. Johnson was, per Dianna Russini, also talking to Lou Anarumo about a defensive coordinator job.

Fired by the Saints after a 2-7 start to the year, Allen is still viewed by many as one of the top defensive coordinators in the game. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Allen “is expected to have several options” available to him this offseason, but the Colts will be the first to sit down with Allen when he interviews with them on Friday. From 2020 to 2023, Allen’s defense ranked in the top-10 in points allowed every season, and was top 10 in yards allowed in three of those four seasons. Things bottomed out for him in 2024, but, but Allen’s track record over 14 seasons will be more than enough to land him another look as defensive coordinator down the line. The Colts defense ranked among the leagues worst in 2024, which is something head coach Shane Steichen can ill-afford heading into what may be a do-or-die 2025 season.

The Saints started the season with a 2-0 record while outscoring opponents 91-29. Since then, the team has lost seven straight games while looking increasingly uncompetitive, but the final straw was Week 9’s 23-22 loss to the Panthers. Allen did his best to rebuild his reputation as the former Raiders’ coach who went 8-28 from 2012-2014, and at times, appeared to have the Saints moving in the right direction. Last year he delivered a 9-8 season after winning four of his team’s final five games, but this is clearly a roster that’s trending toward a complete overhaul. The team is expected to name special teams coach Darren Rizzi, who interviewed for the Saints’ head coaching job in 2022, as its interim head coach. Allen’s tenure with the Saints went just over two seasons, and his final record with the team is a disappointing 18-25. It seems unlikely he would be a candidate for any head coaching jobs in the future after two failed stints.

Allen added that he does not foresee the need to evacuate at this time but that the storm could alter the team’s late-week practice plans on Thursday and Friday. That said, weather forecasters currently will not rule out the possibility that the tropical storm develops into hurricane strength in the coming days, something that could change current plans.

The son of longtime offensive coordinator and head coach Gary Kubiak, Klint could get his shot at the Saints OC gig after Shane Waldron turned down New Orleans in favor of the Bears. Kubiak has worked closely with Brock Purdy this season. Purdy led the NFL in EPA per drop back in the QB-friendly Shanahan offense. The Saints are also interviewing Niners QB coach Brian Griese, who has been with San Francisco for two seasons. The Saints OC job isn’t the most attractive with head coach Dennis Allen’s future uncertain beyond the 2024 season.

Allen is 16-18 in his first two seasons with the Saints. A 9-8 record in 2023 was an improvement on last year’s seven-win season, but Allen and the Saints will have their work cut out for them in 2024. While quarterback Derek Carr showed improved play down the stretch, it’s hard to imagine this team taking a significant leap as long as Carr is under center. In addition to their underwhelming quarterback situation, the Saints are also dealing with the worst cap situation in the league — which has been par for the course in recent years. Their poor cap situation is amplified by the fact they also have one of the oldest rosters in the league, which could suggest a down 2024 is in store. Allen should be back with the Saints next season, but he’ll have his work cut out for him in year three.

Allen failed to provide an expected snap count for the starters but was adamant on them receiving game reps to begin the preseason. “It’s a new season, it’s a new group, and I want to see our guys play,” Allen told reporters Monday. It sounds like Saints starters will play near the league standard of three offensive drives when they take the field on Sunday.

It was expected, but never officially announced. In the words of some of our favorite Source Boys: Officially Official. Allen’s first season in New Orleans was a let down, though perhaps an understandable one given the amount of injuries to top-tier players (Michael Thomas, Marshon Lattimore) and New Orleans’ inability to address the quarterback position. Allen probably can’t afford another year like this given his track record, but he’ll at least get a crack at rectifying what went wrong here in 2022.

According to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, Allen has already spoken with GM Mickey Loomis about the upcoming weeks and Allen’s job appears to be safe. Allen led the Saints to a 7-10 record in his first year at the helm, as his team dealt with a myriad of injuries and underwhelming quarterback play from the likes of Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston. As a team, the Saints ranked 22nd in the league in points per game (19.4) but were ninth in points allowed (20.3). As of now, the Saints sit roughly $45 million over the cap. They’ll almost certainly make some moves to allow some flexibility, but this is a roster that could struggle to improve with limited spending resources in 2023.