Where credit is due: Dennis Allen’s secondary has 12 interceptions through nine games, which leads the NFL. The New Orleans Saints’ defense is benefiting from offseason coaching staff changes. The decision to hire coaches who shared Allen’s vision for the defensive backfield, such as coordinator Joe Woods and secondary coach Marcus Robertson, has made a difference — and, to be honest, we questioned those moves when Allen announced them in the spring.
However, the statistics speak for themselves. Turnovers are one of the most volatile stats in the NFL from year to year, but it’s rare to see a team go from 30th in interceptions (7) to first in the league in a single season. And it’s not like the Saints have a variety of players on the field.
Tyrann Mathieu, Paulson Adebo, Marcus Maye, Alontae Taylor, and Marshon Lattimore were all starters last year and have all returned, with the exception of Taylor, who has moved to the slot. However, whether it’s due to different coaching points like playing the ball differently or simple bounces going New Orleans’ way, the defense is doing a much better job this season of creating opportunities for the offense. They must maintain that momentum in the second half of the 2023 season.
