Dennis Allen is already on the hot seat before Week 1 has even arrived

The New Orleans Saints are entering Year 3 of the Dennis Allen experiment and fans wouldn't be disappointed if this was the final year of said experiment. Allen previously served as the Saints defensive coordinator for seven years before getting promoted to the head coach spot and so far, it's been underwhelming.

According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, it's already looking rough for Allen and the Saints haven't even kicked off their 2024 season yet. Howe mentioned that "People around the league believe head coach Dennis Allen is opening the season on the hot seat" and notes how he's compiled a 16-18 record since taking over for Sean Payton as the head coach.

Howe continues and says that "a playoff berth and creating tangible momentum toward 2025 might be necessary for Allen to stay onboard."

Saints HC Dennis Allen is on the hot seat and the season hasn't even started

None of this is surprising, especially to Saints fans who have had the unfortunate pleasure of watching Allen in command over the past two years. Some guys are good coordinators but lousy head coaches and Allen has proven that he falls into that category once and for all.

Before getting hired by the Saints to take over for Payton, Allen had served as the Raiders head coach from 2012 to 2014. He went 8-28 in 36 games at the helm in Oakland so while he's done a much better job in New Orleans, he was given a much better team than he had in Oakland and still hasn't been able to get the team to the postseason.

Not only does Allen need to make it to the playoffs this year for his job to be safe but if the team gets off to a rough start, it wouldn't be surprising if he was one of the first coaches relieved of their duties. Colin Cowherd predicted that Allen would be the first head coach to be fired this year and while it'd mean the team isn't doing well, fans wouldn't hate if Cowherd was right for once.

Maybe Allen surprises us and finally makes the Saints look like true playoff contenders this year. If he does, then cool, a lot of fans would be willing to admit they were wrong and embrace him as the head coach. In all likelihood though, with the NFC South growing more competitive, it feels as though Allen's time as the Saints head coach is closer to the end than the beginning.