ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently released his top-10 potential head coach openings this offseason, and the New Orleans Saints made the list. Three coaches have been let go in-season with the Los Angeles Chargers dismissing Brandon Staley after the Carolina Panthers ousted Frank Reich and the Las Vegas Raiders fired Josh McDaniels, so that accounts for three of the openings.
The other seven should be viewed as coaches on the hot seat, which includes Dennis Allen. The entire NFC South is on the list, a great reflection of the current landscape of the division. None of these four teams have met expectations.
New Orleans comes in at eighth on Barnwell’s list. In other words, they are viewed as the third-worst potential job. Only the Raiders and Panthers have less to offer a potential first-year head coach than the Saints, Barnwell says. The cons of an older roster, complicated salary cap outlook, and lack of draft capital overwhelmed the pros of a weak division and star power already on the roster.
It’s understandable for Barnwell to evaluate the Saints like this. New Orleans is getting older, specifically on the defensive side, without many young up-and-comers ready to take over. Alvin Kamara is approaching 30 years old, which is when many teams give up on running backs. The quarterback hasn’t performed well either but some of Derek Carr’s struggles fall on the coaching staff, which Barnwell points to as a reason for optimism — maybe a more creative play caller can get more out of him than Pete Carmichael has.
The roster’s age would be the best reason to say the job is less attractive. New Orleans is built to make one big push but the future is still in the air. There are some building blocks on this team, but it’s understandable why the team is low on the list. The Panthers come in at tenth on the top-10 list while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons rank at sixth and third respectively. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is the hottest name on the market ahead of the next hiring cycle but all four NFC South teams may struggle to attract him given their various challenges.
