The New Orleans Saints made a coaching change on Monday morning, firing Dennis Allen after their loss against the Carolina Panthers in Week 9. The Saints are on a seven-game losing streak, and something needed to change after it felt like the locker room was being lost.
The Saints will now finish the season with assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi as the new interim coach, and it will be interesting to see what their plans are as far as trying to get a high draft pick or staying competitive.
With a record of 2-7 and the Atlanta Falcons having a huge lead in the division, it might be best for the Saints to evaluate some of their young talent on the team and see who they can draft next year.
Also, the biggest thing that the Saints' front office needs to do as the season closes is to find a list of head-coaching candidates for next season. There will probably be a good amount of coaches looking for jobs next offseason, and here are three options that the Saints should consider to lead their team in the future.
Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson
Ben Johnson was a head-coach candidate last offseason and took a few interviews, but in the end, he elected to go back to the Detroit Lions. Johnson was one of the hottest candidates on the list last season after he made the Lions one of the best offensive teams in the league with his system.
Well, he's doing the same thing this season, and the Lions' offense might be better than it was last year. It wouldn't be a surprise if this time around, during the offseason, Johnson lands a head-coaching job, and the Saints need to be one of the first teams trying to interview him.
The Saints have the pieces on offense to make Johnson's system work, and he may want to go to a team that already has those pieces.
Former Tennessee Titans Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel was also a head-coach candidate for some teams last offseason but is spending this season as a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns.
When Vrabel was the head coach of the Titans, he led them to the playoffs three out of six seasons and also won Coach of the Year in 2021. Both sides of the ball for Vrabel's teams were effective, and with him being a veteran coach, the Saints may want to consider him.
As a defensive-minded coach, Vrabel could help out the Saints, who are at the bottom of almost every statistical category. If Vrabel takes the job and keeps Klint Kubiak as the offensive coordinator, they would have a solid coach staff on both sides of the ball to stay competitive.
Minnesota Vikings DC Brian Flores
Brian Flores has turned the Vikings' defense into one of the best in the league this season, and there's no doubt that he can do the same thing with the Saints.
Flores has experience as a head coach as his last stint was with the Miami Dolphins, but things didn't end well with him, going 24-25 in his three years there. Flores also is suing the NFL for racial discrimination after not landing a head-coaching job in 2022.
Teams may take a hard look at Flores before hiring him, but he deserves an opportunity after what he's been able to do as the defensive coordinator for the Vikings.
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