New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen finished 7-10 in 2022, his first year in charge of the team. Despite a top-5 defense that season, Allen made big changes in his defensive coaching staff. The Saints jettisoned co-coordinators Ryan Nielsen and Kris Richard, two highly respected coaches. Interestingly, the new coaches that were brought in for 2023 all had previous ties to Allen.
Defensive coordinator Joe Woods was a defensive backs coach on Dennis Allen’s Oakland Raiders staff in 2014. Marcus Robertson, brought in to coach the New Orleans defensive backs, was the assistant secondary coach on that 2014 Raiders staff. Even Clancy Barone, the TE coach, was an offensive assistant with Texas A&M in 1993, where Allen played as a defensive back. Barone was also the TE coach for the Denver Broncos in 2011, when Allen served as the defensive coordinator for the team.
