New Orleans Saints Coaching Hires May Be Influenced by Dennis Allen Relationships

In his first season as head coach of the New Orleans Saints, Dennis Allen’s club finished with a 7-10 record in 2022. Allen made significant changes to his defensive coaching staff that season, even though his defence ranked in the top five. The Saints fired both highly regarded coaches Ryan Nielsen and Kris Richard, who were the co-coordinators. It’s interesting to note that Allen was a former associate of every new coach hired for 2023.

In 2014, Joe Woods, the defensive coordinator, coached defensive backs for the Oakland Raiders under Dennis Allen. Marcus Robertson was the assistant secondary coach for that 2014 Raiders team before being called in to teach the New Orleans defensive backs. Allen was a defensive back for Texas A&M in 1993, and even the TE coach, Clancy Barone, was an offensive assistant there. In 2011, while Allen was the team’s defensive coordinator, Barone was also the Denver Broncos’ tight end coach.

Let’s go back to 2023. Despite having a stronger final record (9-8), the Saints were unable to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Along with senior offensive assistant Bob Bicknell and wide receiver coach Kodi Burns, longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael was let go. Barone and offensive line coach Doug Marrone, who worked with Allen on Sean Payton’s first New Orleans staff in 2006 and 2008, are still in place as of right now.

Thus far, the Saints have asked to speak with Tom Pitcher, the coach of the Bengals, Zac Robinson, the Rams, and Shane Waldron, the offensive coordinator for the Seahawks. In the upcoming weeks, there will undoubtedly be additional applicants for the offensive coordinator position as well as other staff roles.

Don’t be shocked if the Saints talk with a few coaches who have previously worked with Allen, as recent history often serves as a guide. These are some names to be aware of.