Who will the Saints hire?

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The Saints got a late start in their search for a new coach. They could be closing in on hiring a successor to Sean Payton.

Long-time NFL assistant coach and, most recently, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, reportedly will interview for the job on Sunday. He’ll need to make quite an impression, because all signs are pointing to Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen getting the job.

A source with knowledge of the dynamics in New Orleans recently predicted that Allen will get the job. That doesn’t mean a decision has been made or that Bieniemy can’t push the decision-making process his way. However, Allen has been there since 2015, and he has done a great job with a defense that was the opposite of great before his arrival. He went 4-1 against Tom Brady‘s Buccaneers, shutting them out in Tampa Bay in 2021 and holding them to three points on their home field in 2020.

Then there’s the fact that G.M. Mickey Loomis could be commencing the process of pulling the train into the station. If Allen gets the promotion, there won’t be an overhaul of the coaching staff. There will be a sense of continuity.

Still, Bieniemy is getting his shot to show that he’s ready to take the next step. Fifteen years ago, Mike Tomlin used that opportunity to persuade the Steelers (eventually) to not promote Russ Grimm as the replacement for Bill Cowher. Bieniemy gets a similar chance now.