The New Orleans Saints are going into the offseason coming off their worst season in 19 years.
With a record of 5-12 and an aging roster that ranks close to the oldest in the league, New Orleans is in dire need of change. Newly hired head coach Kellen Moore of the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles may just have what the Saints need to spark that change.
Since the firing of former Saints HC Dennis Allen on Nov. 4 of last year, insiders and fans alike have been making their pick as to who the next coach for New Orleans should be.
As of Feb. 11, the Saints had officially made their pick.
WHO IS KELLEN MOORE?
The initial list of hiring candidates for the Saints head coaching position included premier candidates such as Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
Johnson was shortly hired to be the Chicago Bears head coach, and Brady later announced that he would be returning to the Bills for another season. At first, the list of coaches did not even include the name Kellen Moore.
So, how did Moore get hired if he was not one of the initial interviewees for the position? The answer is in his history.
With every coaching candidate on the original hire list later being hired elsewhere or backing off on the opportunity, it’s no surprise that Moore quickly became the number one option for the position. Over his tenure as an NFL OC over the last six years, he has led some of the most prolific offenses in the league, with four out of those six offenses ranking in the top 10 for scoring.
While coaching in Dallas, he led the offense to the top two in passing yards twice and, in 2024, coached the Eagles to have the second-most rushing yards in the NFL. With a resume like that, it’s clear why the Saints are giving him a shot to prove himself.
WHAT MOORE BRINGS TO THE TABLE
To put it mildly, the Saints’ offense has been horrific, particularly since the retirements of Drew Brees in 2021 and Sean Payton in 2022. Under Dennis Allen’s first season as head coach, the Saints finished with a bottom-10 offense.
In his second season in 2023, it looked like things may take a turn. The Saints finished that season with a top-10 scoring offense, but Allen’s decision-making, coupled with the complete offensive ineptitude of OC Pete Carmichael, ultimately caused the Saints to fail to make the playoffs by half a game.
The 2024 season was by far the worst showcasing of Allen’s coaching. Two straight seasons of missing the postseason under him, along with zero team chemistry in the locker room, led to his firing after the Saints suffered their seventh straight loss of the season to the NFL-worst Carolina Panthers in Week 9.
Finally, New Orleans had enough.
Darren Rizzi took over as interim head coach, and although showed initial success, was not enough to propel the Saints anywhere close to a playoff appearance.
It was clear that a defensive-minded coach such as Dennis Allen was not what this team needed. At the very least, the team required a leader to look up to and relate to. They got that with coach Rizzi. But it was clear that Rizzi was not fit to be the head coach, as even his leadership could not make up for the team’s lack of offensive efficiency, with the team going 3-5 under the new coach.
Enter Kellen Moore.
A proven winner and play-caller, he is perhaps the perfect person for the Saints’ head coaching job. Injuries have crippled the Saints over the last few seasons, but it has been the offensive struggles that have been holding the team back.
In Moore, you get a man who has led some of the best offenses in the league over the last six seasons and — as we saw in both the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl — someone who is not afraid to take their foot off the gas. That is what has been missing from this Saints team for nearly four seasons now.
When you look at the roster, it’s not a question of whether the offense can succeed but rather how. Moore is how. He has a unique ability to utilize his star players to optimize offensive performance. His poise under pressure, love for the locker room, and genius playcalling are all the exact qualities in a coach that the New Orleans Saints have desperately needed for years.
With someone of Kellen Moore’s caliber creating success on offense, it may soon be time to consider the Saints a legitimate offensive threat.
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