Canal Street Chronicles
This will be a long but worthwhile process.
Kellen Moore is now officially the new head coach of the New Orleans Saints, and although it is extremely exciting, some things need to be understood going into next season. Seeing immediate success in 2025 should not be expected, and really, the first year of a head coach’s tenure should be treated like a rookie year. In addition, the Saints and Moore understand that rebuilding this team will be a process, and this roster is not in a great spot.
With some aging veterans, bad contracts, lack of young talent, a question mark at quarterback, and so many holes on the roster, New Orleans has a lot to fix. The team’s cap space, or lack thereof, will limit them in free agency, so the draft is the only avenue to see massive improvements quickly. If the Saints 2025 draft class is like 2017, the team could be fast-tracked in this rebuilding process, but that is extremely unlikely. Quarterback is also still a massive issue. Derek Carr lacks the mobility that Kellen Moore tends to value in all of his offenses, and with that enormous contract, there is a good chance Carr is off the team in 2025. I believe Spencer Rattler could thrive in a Kellen Moore system, and unless Moore falls in love with one of the quarterbacks in the 2025 draft, I would expect Rattler to be the starter next season.
Moore has waited for this opportunity his whole life. Even as one of the most successful quarterbacks in college football history, Moore knew he wanted to be a coach. At his prior destinations, he learned how to adapt, deal with adversity, and use the strengths of a roster. These traits are extremely important for a head coach, and although Moore is in a great starting point, he will still need to learn. Time management can be a killer for a new head coach and has led to many firings in the NFL. A coach must know the rules, the time, and the scenario in every game. First-year head coaches lose sight in that, and time management tends to be all over the place early. Kellen Moore will also need to understand the talent/strengths on the roster. This is one of the traits I mentioned Moore has, but it takes time for him to learn these strengths. In 2024, the Eagles offense did not look great throughout the first four games of the season, but Kellen Moore took a step back, assessed the roster's strengths, and created a consistent game plan that led Philadelphia to the Super Bowl. Kellen Moore’s scheme is not uniform. Instead, it is very fluid and has changed at each of his destinations. This scheme will be built around what the Saints have on their roster, which takes time. This Offense will probably look discombobulated for the early parts of the season, and Moore will need time to fix those issues.
With this year being essential...
