Dennis Allen Expects Saints New Offense To Be 'Significantly Different"

In a conversation with Rich Eisen, New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen said he expects fans to see a whole new offense in the the Big Easy, outlining two crucial changes for the 2024 NFL season.

Mar 26, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen speaks to media during the NFL annual league meetings at the JW Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The wide zone offense has made its way to the bayou and anticipations are high for what to expect from the New Orleans Saints in 2024. On Thursday, Saints head coach Dennis Allen joined the Rich Eisen show to discuss a variety of topics around the team, providing some excellent insight. One of the biggest takeaways came from Eisen asking Allen about how different the Saints offense will look to fans relative to waht they have seen from the team in the past.

"I think probably significantly different," Allen said. "We've been in a lot of what we call '11 personnel.' (Three wide receivers, one tight end in the game.) And I think we're probably going to see a lot more two tight ends in the game. We're going to see a little bit more fullback utilized in the game."

Of course, that does not mean a complete venture away from what has worked for the team in the past. Allen said that they will still do some traditional dropback passing and three-receiver sets. But the addition of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is clearly expected to have an impact.

Nov 26, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill (7) runs the ball against the Atlanta Falcons in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

When it comes to more two tight end sets and fullback usage, the first player name that jumps to mind is offensive weapon Taysom Hill. The versatile player has already taken snaps out wide, in the slot, in-line at tight end, at fullback and even as the lone back in shotgun sets throughout OTAs. His role is most certainly ready to take yet another leap forward in 2024, especially with the emphasis applied to the deployments that Allen laid out here.

The numbers and trends around the league support that this is the right decision for New Orleans as well. Per Next Gen Stats, the NFL saw its highest percentage of 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers) last year (19.3%) since it began tracking the data in 2016.

Teams are making an effort to play bigger on offense because defenses have gotten smaller. Years ago with the rise of 11 personnel on offense, the opposition took linebackers off the field in exchange for a smaller defensive back to help in coverage. Other teams have gone the hybrid linebacker route incorporating lighter linebackers to gain an edge in coverage at the second level.

Now that defenses around the league have calibrated for faster offenses using more wideouts, the trend is bending back to the old school principles of being bigger and more physical. Hence the rise in two tight end sets. Kubiak has seen this firsthand as well when he was with the Denver Broncos in 2022. That year, he assumed playcalling responsibilities in November and the offense ranked No. 2 in the league in 12 personnel usage on 29.6% of snaps.

Aug 5, 2022; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak during training camp at the UCHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The other important area wherein these two tight end sets help an offense comes from having the extra blocker on the line of scrimmage. Having a second tight end effectively adds another gap that defenses must defend in the run game and provides some additional protection in the passing game if needed. At the same time, with athletic options at the position like Hill, Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau and potentially undrafted talent Dallin Holker, the team's options in route concepts will not see a big hit with the extra tight end of the field in lieu of a third wideout.

The usage of 21 personnel sets (two running backs, one tight end and 2 wide receivers) will make a lot of sense for New Orleans as well. Kubiak was with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 before assuming the offensive coordinator role with the Saints this offseason. Last year the Niners ran the second-most 21 personnel snaps in the NFL at 37.8%. Right above them holding the No. 1 spot was the Miami Dolphins at 41.6%. Not a bad couple of teams to emulate on the offensive side.

The benefits of 21 personnel are mostly gained in the run game. Never a bad idea to have a lead blocker ahead of your rusher. But with versatile talents at the position, contributions in the passing game could catch defenses off-guard.

Now, simply using more of these concepts will not guarantee the Saints improvement on offense. The execution will be an entirely different layer and quarterback Derek Carr's comfort with the system will have a major impact in 2024 as well. However, when looking what the New Orleans offense desperately needed after their 2023 campaign, the answer was simply change. The team has undeniably embraced that prospect, further evidence by their inclusion of motion, play action and more.

"I think you're going to see a little bit more motion," Allen said. "And things like that to try to mess with the defense's eyes a little bit. So i think it'll be significantly different in terms of how we package things."