We have finally reached the end of the NFL coaching carousel for this offseason.
The last head coaching position available after the Houston Texans announced they will be hiring Lovie Smith was for the New Orleans Saints‘ vacant position after the shocking retirement of longtime coach Sean Payton.
The Saints have announced that they are hiring current defensive coordinator Dennis Allen (seen above) as their new head coach. Much like the Texans situation, the Saints tabbed someone inside the building to be their new head coach.
#Saints DC Dennis Allen was the top choice going in and despite strong interviews from Aaron Glenn, Eric Bieniemy and Brian Flores, he lands the #Saints job. A second chance at a HC job.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 7, 2022
Allen was the top candidate from the beginning for the Saints, as he has been with the team as defensive coordinator since 2015.
Allen’s defense was top 5 in the league in points per game allowed this season, and was a big reason the Saints were as good as they were despite a pretty poor offense.
Here are some reactions to the Saints hiring from the NFL world.
Love this for DA
Deserves another opportunity
Gotta fix the QB situation https://t.co/LoB4Q5IH0v— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) February 7, 2022
This hire made sense. Front runner all along. https://t.co/vGhus9XhPc
— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) February 7, 2022
https://twitter.com/Merv_Speak/status/1490827866547933187
And we have 32 head coaches again. https://t.co/lvtM2L26jQ
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 7, 2022
And there is it. Love this hire and how it will benefit the team as far as a seamless transition. Both Terron Armstead and Mark Ingram personally said to @WWLTV that he would be a great hire when we interviewed them last month #Saints https://t.co/aMyATkusgp
— Brooke Kirchhofer (@brookechesney) February 7, 2022
Allen has yet to show that he can be a competent head coach in the NFL to this point, only going 8-28 in his three year coaching tenure with the then-Oakland Raiders from 2012-2014. But he has already shown he can command an impressive defense with the Saints. If he is able to fix their quarterback situation going forward, he could be able to stick there for years to come.
