Saints will go as far as Dennis Allen takes them in 2023

With the offseason somewhat in the rearview mirror, it's time for the New Orleans Saints to look forward. With that, all eyes are now on the Saints head coach.

NFL free agency is a distant memory, and the 2023 NFL Draft has come and gone. With that, all of the "major" moves are more likely than not done for NFL teams, the New Orleans Saints included. With eyes now on the prize of the 2023 NFL season, most are looking at Saints head honcho Dennis Allen, because he is the major key in all of this.

A lot of people were wondering (perhaps rather nervously) what the future of Saints football would be like without Drew Brees and Sean Payton. The results have been wildly mediocre if not unspectacular. Despite that, the Saints still have a talented roster, and now have what they hope is their next franchise quarterback in Derek Carr.

While a lot of eyes will be on Carr, perhaps more will be on the Saints grand poobah in Allen.

Allen enters his second season as head coach of the Saints, and now has something of a franchise quarterback, who coincidentally is the one he drafted during his final season with the Raiders in 2014. Speaking of Allen and the Raiders, it's that tenure that has some fans feeling understandably uneasy about this whole thing.

Allen's record with the Silver & Black was 8-28. Two 4-12 seasons in 2012 and 2013, before being fired after an 0-4 start to the 2014 campaign. So yeah, not great. Allen did manage to lead the Saints to a 7-10 record a season ago though, and that was with a bit of a carosel at quarterback.

Now entering 2023, Allen has his quarterback, a talented roster, and a division lacking any real threat. The NFC South is the worst division in football, even if it's supposed to be improved. The NFC as a whole has the Philadelphia Eagles, then a bit of gap, then San Francisco 49ers, then an even larger gap that consists of everyone else.

So what does this all mean? Well, it means that if the New Orleans Saints can win a weak NFC South and host a playoff game in the Superdome, then all bets are off. The thing is though, they will only go as far as their head coach Dennis Allen takes them. Buckle up buckaroos.