It’s been a busier-than-expected offseason for the New Orleans Saints so far. Last year’s story in the spring was all about continuity, and how the ties to Sean Payton’s management of the team was a strength. After sliding to 7-10 under Dennis Allen, the Saints are shifting gears and moving on from longtime assistants like Dan Roushar, Ryan Nielsen, Zach Strief, Declan Doyle, and Kris Richard.
The Saints announced replacements for many of those coaches on Wednesday, and Allen shared some insight to these decisions in a lengthy conversation with NewOrleansSaints.com’s John DeShazier.
The way Allen tells it, his top priority was finding coaches who share his vision for the team’s success: “The No. 1 thing was, as I was looking to make some changes on the staff, I wanted guys that I knew exactly what I was getting. I had familiarity with these coaches, and they’re all really good coaches.”
That meant reuniting with some of his old Raiders coaches, with Joe Woods being introduced as defensive coordinator and Marcus Robertson taking over the defensive backs room. Allen also brought in experienced position coaches like Todd Grantham (defensive line), Clancy Barone (tight ends), and Kevin Carberry (offensive line assistant). They’re each well-qualified for the roles they’ll be filling in New Orleans.
“It’s hard,” Allen said of dismissing multiple assistants after the 2022 season. “You’re dealing with people, but yet we all understand that this is a business, so sometimes you have to make tough decisions. Some moves were moves that we made, some moves were moves that, in Ryan’s situation, he had a chance for advancement.”
Several former Saints coaches have already found new jobs around the league. Nielsen is the Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator, while Strief and Doyle are working for Payton again on the Denver Broncos. Richard has been linked to a few different openings. Roushar went back to the college level, where he’s coaching Tulane’s offensive line.
“Change is always hard but change can also be positive because you bring in some new ideas, new thoughts and a new kind of enthusiasm for wanting to try to get this program back to where it needs to be,” Allen added.
The Saints are looking to rebound from a two-year playoffs drought, and the good news is that the NFC is wide-open. The Philadelphia Eagles haves significant challenges ahead of them, and the San Francisco 49ers haven’t been able to seal the deal either. After those two Super Bowl contenders it’s a couple of paper tigers (like the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings) and then a dozen teams all with mostly-equal footing. If these hires help New Orleans get back on track, they could be right in the middle of things in the fall.
If they slog through another underwhelming performance, well — sink or swim, Allen is going into it with his own support staff, not one he inherited.
