Ranking NFC South head coaches before 2024 free agency

3. Dennis Allen (Saints)

There's a notion that sometimes people are great coordinators but not necessarily cut out for being a head coach. Dennis Allen falls into this category.

Allen first rose up the ranks when he served as the Broncos defensive coordinator in 2011. That led to the then-Oakland Raiders hiring Allen as their head coach and that didn't end well for either party. Allen won just eight games while in Oakland and finished with a lackluster 8-28 record before the Raiders canned him.

Allen then returned to New Orleans, where he had spent time from 2006 to 2010 and took over as the defensive coordinator in 2016. Allen held this role for six years and when Sean Payton opted to step away from his head coaching duties, Allen made sense as a replacement. He's proven in two years back in the head coaching role, however, that he's not cut out for the job.

While the Saints had a winning record in 2023, they had one of the easiest schedules in the league and still couldn't find a way to win the NFC South and make the playoffs. That's why Allen is ranked third.