Dennis Allen will return as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints in 2023, according to general manager Mickey Loomis on Friday.
Allen was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach ahead to the 2022 season following Sean Payton’s retirement.
In Allen’s first season as head coach, the Saints went 7-10, finishing one game behind the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Allen’s first NFL head coaching job was with the Oakland Raiders from 2012 to 2014, during which time the team went 8-28 and failed to make the playoffs in any of the three seasons.
He joined the Saints as a senior defensive assistant in 2015 and served as the team’s defensive coordinator from 2016 to 2021.
When Allen arrived in New Orleans in 2015, the Saints had the NFL’s worst defense in terms of points allowed, but they have improved dramatically on that side of the ball during his time.
The Saints have finished in the top ten of the NFL in total defense and scoring defense for the past three seasons, including fifth in total defense and ninth in scoring defense in 2022.
Offense has become the Saints’ most pressing concern over the last two years, which would have been unthinkable under Payton and quarterback Drew Brees.
This season, New Orleans ranked only 19th in overall offense and 22nd in scoring offense, owing in large part to a lack of consistency at quarterback.
Jameis Winston started the season as the Saints’ starting quarterback, but he was injured and never regained the job when healthy, finishing 1-2 in three starts with four touchdowns and five interceptions.
Andy Dalton, a veteran quarterback, has 2,871 yards, 18 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 14 games, but it’s evident he’s not the long-term option.
Finding a franchise quarterback should be the Saints’ primary aim, but they do not have a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, so this could be challenging.
Trading for a veteran, such quarterback Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders, may be an option, given that the Saints have the makings of a playoff club if they can get the offense going.
Regardless of what happens at quarterback, Allen is certain to face scrutiny in 2023, as the Saints have now missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons after making it four years in a row prior.
