Dennis Allen Making Saints Coaching Moves

Dennis Allen has a lot of work ahead of him as the new Saints head coach, and it appears that he is moving with purpose to revamp his staff.

The Dennis Allen regime has plenty of work to do, and it appears that the Saints are making moves to help move in the right direction. Allen's making changes with the coaching staff, primarily on the offensive side of the ball.

What We Know

According to reports by New Orleans.Football's Nick Underhill, here's where things stand with the Saints coaching staff currently. Four assistant coaches are not expected to be retained, while some new replacements are expected in. Other assistants will have different roles.

Out: Curtis Johnson (wide receivers), Brendan Nugent (offensive line), Dan Dalrymple (strength and conditioning), and Jim Chaney (offensive analyst)

Targets: Doug Marrone (offensive line), John Morton (TBD)

Those coaches who are staying put, but will be in different roles yet to be determined include Joel Thomas (running backs) and Pete Carmichael (offensive coordinator). Zach Strief is also expected to be retained to assist Marrone.

The offensive and defensive coordinator spots are still up for grabs, and the only reported interview we've learned about is Lions' secondary coach/passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant from NFL Network's Steve Wyche. The Vikings interviewed him earlier this week. Expect Kris Richard and Ryan Nielsen to get some looks here, as an in-house promotion would make a lot of sense.

Getting a stellar offensive coordinator would go a long way for the Saints and their quest to improve the quarterback situation, which is their most important positional need. Allen is expected to still handle playcalling duties for the defense.

It's not entirely shocking to see the Saints giving an overhaul on offense after what transpired last season. The defense is there, and should continue to be a strength, but the offense leaves a lot to the imagination.


Read More Saints News


Published
John Hendrix
JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net