Kellen Moore Faces An Uphill Battle In New Orleans
Kellen Moore is FINALLY the new coach of the New Orleans Saints. This move surprises no one as there were rumors the last two weeks that it was his job after Saints Owner Gayle Benson flew up to Philly for a 2nd interview. The Saints just had to wait for the Super Bowl to end to make it official.
Fresh off winning the NFL Title as Eagles OC, Moore is facing quite an uphill battle to put it mildly tackling this Saints job.
Early reports of a potential coaching staff involve Eagles QB Coach Doug Nussmeier and former LA Chargers HC/Rams DC Brandon Staley. If true, both of these moves are very good.
Nussmeier's son Garrett is a Heisman Trophy candidate QB at LSU this fall so that move makes a ton of sense for Doug. Staley was a Super Bowl winning DC for the Rams & Sean McVay before struggling as the LA Chargers head coach. Kellen Moore was the OC on his staff his final season so this move makes sense.
What are expectations for Moore in New Orleans?
Jesus Christ himself would have a hard time winning 10 games with this current Saints roster. The combo of being in salary cap hell and an aging team is pretty dang rough.
Derek Carr, Tyron Mathieu, Taysom Hill, DeMario Davis & Cam Jordan count 113 MILLION dollars against the salary cap and are all in their 30s. There is not a lot of young talent on the roster either especially on the defensive side of the ball.
The biggest immediate question is will Derek Carr be back at QB? Logic would dictate Moore wants his own guy in there but the options are limited. Carr's salary will also count heavily against the cap in 2025 whether he is on the team or not.
My guy T-Bob Hebert of 104.5 ESPN Baton Roughe has the right idea on Twitter.
If the Saints are gonna suck, they might as well do it with fan favorite Jameis Winston and give the people what they want! Jameis is beloved in NOLA and it would damn sure be entertaining.
The Saints have the 9th pick in the 2025 Draft and have not taken a QB in 1st round since Archie Manning. That route does not seem likely. Spencer Rattler will also be back to compete for the job after playing a good bit as a rookie albeit with replacement level talent around him.
WR Chris Olave is the only Saints starter on offense who could start for the Eagles this year. There is some talent on offense with Alvin Kamara, Rashid Shaheed, Fuaga at LT & Erik McCoy at C but there is ZERO depth.
All things considered, the Moore hire is a good one for New Orleans. No one else wanted this job. Expect him to get a long leash the next few years as this is definitely a rebuilding situation.
At least the NFC South blows!