Will the New Orleans Saints move on from Dennis Allen after this season? They probably should. He hasn’t met the expectations set for him in either of his first two years as their head coach, and he’ll need to to beat two NFC South rivals that defeated him soundly earlier this season just to finish the 2023 campaign with a winning record.
The Saints went all in on his vision for the team by signing his preferred quarterback Derek Carr to a lucrative contract and repeatedly trading up in the NFL draft for prospects he wanted the most, costing them much-needed picks that could have been used to restock an aging roster. And Allen hasn’t had anything to show for it. It’s time to move on from the coach with the 184th-ranked career winning percentage in NFL history whether the Saints’ brass wants to admit it or not.
So who are their options if they do dismiss Allen from his post? Years of poaching have thinned out the crowd of candidates ahead of the latest coaching carousel, but there are some intriguing names on the market. Here are five coaches we’d like to see wearing black and gold:
Ben Johnson (Detroit Lions offensive coordinator)
Let’s start with the obvious choice; Johnson is already the hottest name on the market with his reported $15 million in salary demands floating around, and every team with a vacancy is expected to check in on him. The Saints are already going to be playing catchup with three teams having dismissed their head coaches. It’s very likely that they’ll miss out on Johnson even if they move on from Allen after the season (which, again, is not guaranteed). So why is Johnson so appealing?
The 37-year-old has quickly risen in the ranks with the Detroit Lions to become one of the NFL’s most exciting play callers. His offense has the lowest three-and-out rate in the NFL at 26% (the Saints are in the middle of the pack at 33%, which ranks 15th). He does an outstanding job designing plays to take advantage of spacing and complimentary route concepts to give his quarterback options at all times. You don’t see receivers running into each other. He uses more play action than any other offense in the league. He’s developed an explosive run game that is tied for the 3rd-most rushes of 15-plus yards, blocking well up front and creating clear lanes for runners to knife through.
Let’s start with the obvious choice; Johnson is already the hottest name on the market with his reported $15 million in salary demands floating around, and every team with a vacancy is expected to check in on him. The Saints are already going to be playing catchup with three teams having dismissed their head coaches. It’s very likely that they’ll miss out on Johnson even if they move on from Allen after the season (which, again, is not guaranteed). So why is Johnson so appealing?
The 37-year-old has quickly risen in the ranks with the Detroit Lions to become one of the NFL’s most exciting play callers. His offense has the lowest three-and-out rate in the NFL at 26% (the Saints are in the middle of the pack at 33%, which ranks 15th). He does an outstanding job designing plays to take advantage of spacing and complimentary route concepts to give his quarterback options at all times. You don’t see receivers running into each other. He uses more play action than any other offense in the league. He’s developed an explosive run game that is tied for the 3rd-most rushes of 15-plus yards, blocking well up front and creating clear lanes for runners to knife through.
But being a great play caller doesn’t guarantee you’ll be a great head coach. Managing situational football, retaining a big-picture view to keep the defense and special teams units in shape, and leading an organization are challenges Johnson hasn’t had to face in his current role. That’s not to say he can’t learn those things; he’s been learning from one of the best in Dan Campbell. While we should keep expectations tempered, the potential of getting the Saints offense back in shape is too tempting to ignore. If there’s a chance Johnson would be willing to hear them out, the Saints should give him a call.
Frank Smith (Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator)
Who are the other offensive-minded coaches to look out for if your team can’t lure in Johnson? Smith, the Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator, is one to watch. He doesn’t call plays but he’s been watching Mike McDaniel do it at a high level the last two years. And he’s a former Saints assistant offensive line coach who helped send four starters to the Pro Bowl (Jahri Evans, Carl Nicks, Jermon Bushrod, and Ben Grubbs) from 2010 to 2014.
He’s bounced around the league a bit since then, but he’s spent time with some smart play callers including McDaniel and Jon Gruden. If the Saints are stuck with Derek Carr for 2024, Smith is someone he knows from their time together on the Raiders.
Smith hasn’t called plays in the NFL before, but that isn’t a prerequisite for being a great head coach – just look at what Dan Campbell has done in Detroit. Smith’s history in the league and connections should help him build a good staff. If he can find a good play caller or handle that responsibility himself, he could be a good fit. His familiarity with the Saints as an organization could help him hit the ground running, and we know the front office values that connective tissue (or at least the nostalgia) to the success they found with Sean Payton as their head coach.
Brian Flores (Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator)
The former Miami Dolphins head coach interviewed with the Saints before they hired Allen, though he ultimately landed with the Minnesota Vikings as their defensive coordinator; where he beat New Orleans head-to-head by limiting Derek Carr to 13 completions, 110 passing yards, and 3 points scored midway through the third quarter (when Carr was injured and replaced by Jameis Winston). If the Saints move on from Allen but still want a head coach with a background on defense, Flores should be their first call.
Flores is known as a disciplinarian whose teams draw few penalties – his Dolphins teams ranked 29th and 31st in fouls during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, never ranking higher than 15th in 2021, his last year on the job, with a mixed-up offensive line drawing most of the infractions. The point is that Flores didn’t suddenly start yielding tons of yardage on coverage penalties, which has been a consistent problem for the Saints and Allen. His Vikings defense has drawn the fewest penalties (17) in the NFL this year, half as many as New Orleans (34).
But the challenge with Flores (and any other defensive-minded head coach, including Allen) is going to be hiring a great offensive coordinator. Flores struggled to find someone who could get the most out of Tua Tagovailoa when he was in Miami and that could repeat in New Orleans. He cycled through Chad O’Shea, Chan Gailey, and co-OC’s Eric Studesville and George Godsey without ever landing on a clear plan. He would have to present a clear vision for success in New Orleans that he lacked in Miami.
Jim Harbaugh (Michigan Wolverines head coach)
Will Harbaugh finally return to the NFL? He’s been playing coy about it for years and the headaches have only grown at Michigan as his team has soared higher. Teams wouldn’t keep going back to him if he weren’t an appealing candidate. And there are few proven commodities like him out there.
All Harbaugh has done in every stop at different levels of football is establish a winning culture. He went 29-6 in his first job at San Diego in the Pioneer League. Then he went 29-21 at Stanford after taking over a program that had won a single game in 2006, leading them to an Orange Bowl win in 2010. That catapulted him to the NFL where he never had a losing season with the San Francisco 49ers (going 44-19-1 and 5-3 in the postseason). After going back to his Michigan alma mater, Harbaugh has assembled a 142-52 record with the school’s first undefeated season since 1997.
His decades of experience make him one of the best-qualified candidates around. Harbaugh has won in the NFL and at different levels in college. He connects with players, builds a great staff, and wins everywhere he goes. If he’s at all interested in returning to the pro ranks, the Saints would be foolish to not give him a shot. He may have bristled with a meddling owner and general manager in San Francisco, but Gayle Benson and Mickey Loomis are not Jed York and Trent Baalke. They’ve shown they’ll give full organizational support to the head coach even if it means sacrificing valuable draft picks and investing $60 million in a quarterback. Imagine if they put that much effort into supporting Harbaugh?
Other names to know
Eric Bieniemy (Washington Commanders offensive coordinator)
Steve Wilks (San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator)
Brian Johnson (Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator)
Todd Monken (Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator)
Bobby Slowik (Houston Texans offensive coordinator)
