It wouldn’t come as a huge surprise if, in time, former All-American Boise State quarterback and longtime offensive coordinator Kellen Moore became a very good NFL head coach. But for the time being, with most analysts around the league expecting that the New Orleans Saints will be among the NFL’s worst teams in 2025, it may be hard to tell just how good he is or will eventually be in his first season in the big chair.
As a result, Moore and the rest of the Saints coaching staff finished near the bottom of ESPN’s Ben Solak’s rankings of all 32 coaching staffs in the NFL. Only the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars finished lower in the exercise than the Saints did.
“The biggest question mark for Moore, who was a fine offensive coordinator even before his Eagles stint in 2024, is the obvious one: What does this look like when you’re no longer calling plays behind the best offensive line in football?” Solak pondered.
This is definitely a question worth considering, and it’s one that may be keeping some diehard Saints fans up at night. But as Solak points out, Moore did have a track record of success even before his one season with Philadelphia.
In three of his four seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, Moore’s group finished in the top ten in both points and yards. The only season they didn’t was one in which Andy Dalton, Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci started a combined 11 games in place of an injured Dak Prescott. Unfortunately, the quarterback situation in New Orleans isn’t much better. Spencer Rattler appears to be in front, but after going 0-6 in 2024, he doesn’t inspire much confidence.
What Kellen Moore does have working for him is an offensive line that despite being unproven, at least has the promise and the pedigree of a unit that could eventually become one of the league’s best. Four of New Orleans’ five starters on the offensive line are former 1st Round Draft picks, and the only one who isn’t, Erik McCoy, was ranked by PFF as the NFL’s best center in 2024.
Saints Coaching Staff Concerns Go Beyond Kellen Moore
It’s important to note that these rankings aren’t just a reflection of Kellen Moore… Solak evaluated the coordinators of every team too, and therefore, he found reasons for concern with Brandon Staley and Doug Nussmeier as well.
“Staley’s time as the head coach of the Chargers was fraught with key mistakes in game management and personnel upheaval, but the bones of the defense were always sound,” Solak wrote. “His style of defense has spread across the league even as he has fallen out of the national eye. But this Saints defensive depth chart is not suited for his two-deep, cautious coverage, patient play style.”
Solak doesn’t make mention of Nussmeier specifically, but considering it’s the 54-year-old’s first season as an NFL offensive coordinator, there’s a lot left that’s unknown regarding how successful Nussmeier may be. He’s been with Kellen Moore in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, so at least there is familiarity between the two coaches.
All things considered, Solak’s below-average ranking of the Saints coaching staff seems to have more to do with the unanswered questions about the group than it does an assumption that the group will fail. So only time will tell how successful Moore and co. will be in the Big Easy.
