We've finally reached the New Orleans Saints' bye week, and big changes should be on the way. Head coach Kellen Moore has underwhelmed in Year 2 and is fielding a team that keeps losing the same way, offering few answers on how he can guide them to success. But if firing him (and general manager Mickey Loomis, who hired him) is off the table, the Saints should still shake up their coaching staff and depth chart. Too many units are underperforming for them to just keep doing what they're doing.
With that in mind, here are six realistic moves the Saints should explore during the bye week so they can try to salvage this season.
1. Dismiss special teams coordinator Phil Galiano
Galiano just hasn't gotten the job done. The Saints lead the NFL in missed field goals and extra points (18) since he replaced
Darren Rizzi last season and they continue to draw penalties on kickoffs and punts. He wasn't up for the task at Penn State and he's had the same issues in the pros. His assistant Kyle Wilbur probably isn't ready to run the room himself (he only started coaching a few years ago) so a replacement would need to come from outside the building. That's tricky but not impossible. NFL assistants are off-limits during the season but someone like Bradford Banta (the Saints' special teams coordinator in 2017 and 2018) could be brought in to finish the season.
2. Dismiss offensive line coach Brendan Nugent
Nugent might get scapegoated for Moore's inability to run the football, but it is what it is. The offensive line has fallen off hard since he was hired to replace Klint Kubiak's assistants. David Edwards hasn't forgotten how to block people after earning a top-10 contract in free agency. All of the former first- and second-round picks haven't lost their skills or gotten slower and weaker. Poor coaching is holding them back. Nugent was hired because he and Moore crossed paths in 2023 and, more importantly, he was part of Sean Payton's staff. There are too many cooks in the kitchen, and Nugent's hands are dirty.
3. Reassign run game coordinator T.J. Paganetti
Paganetti was the assistant offensive line coach under Jeff Stoutland (if he were at all interested, the Saints should have recruited him by now) for many years in Philadelphia, so he knows how to run the room. He's also one of the few assistants on staff who has been part of a successful run game before. Make him the full-time offensive line coach and give him the keys to the run game. The Saints need to find one or two concepts they can hang their hats on. They should empower Paganetti to get it done.
4. Release Daniel Carlson, sign free agent kicker Riley Patterson
It's well past time to make a change. Carlson is tied with Eddie Pineiro for the worst hit rate among active kickers (66.7%); he's missed a field goal or extra point in six of his seven games with multiple kickoffs falling short of the landing zone. Patterson was recently cut by the Miami Dolphins after starting the year 7-of-9 on field goals and 5-of-6 on extra points, so bring him in to compete with Charlie Smyth after the bye. Sign him to the practice squad if you want to protect a spot on the 53-man roster. Smyth went 12-of-16 last year while making all 13 extra points, so he might be ready. But it's worth bringing in competition just to be safe.
5. Re-sign Devin Neal from the Washington Commanders practice squad
The decision to try and stash both Neal and Audric Estime on injured reserve was a mistake. You hope Travis Etienne Jr. can return after the bye week but there's been no indication that's the case. CJ Donaldson exited Sunday's loss early with an injury, and the Saints couldn't run the football without him. Kendre Miller fumbled in the red zone again and Alvin Kamara took another big hit while managing a back injury. The Saints should be able to re-sign Neal from Washington's practice squad now (players released with an injury settlement must wait an extra three weeks to re-sign with their team), and cutting Carlson would open a spot on the 53-man roster for him. Estime is off-limits because the Cleveland Browns signed him to their own 53-man roster. Neal knows the playbook and has had some nice moments.
6. Check in with former Bills HC Sean McDermott
Whether or not the Saints are willing to fire another coach during the season, they owe it to themselves to gauge outside interest in the job. And one of the few outside candidates they can communicate with (however discretely) is McDermott. He was fired by the Buffalo Bills after going 98-50 in the regular season, appearing in 16 playoff games. You'd kill for that kind of success in New Orleans right now. Because McDermott isn't under contract with another team like other top 2027 candidates like Brian Flores and Mike Tomlin (the Steelers control his rights even if he isn't working for them), the Saints could avoid tampering penalties by contacting him. If he's interested in coaching in 2027, find out if New Orleans is on his radar.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 6 realistic moves Saints should make in bye week to save their season
