Three hottest seats on the New Orleans Saints

The Saints missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year in 2023. That should make more than a few people's seats uncomfortable within the organization, but here are three who are feeling it the most.

Head coach Dennis Allen

Allen doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves as one of the league's best defensive coaches. When he arrived in New Orleans in 2015, the Saints had the league's worst defense, but he successfully turned it into a solid unit. Under his watch, the Saints have finished in the top 10 in scoring defense five times, including an eighth-place finish in 2023.

However, his defensive acumen hasn't translated as a head coach. He has a 24-46 record in four-plus seasons, including a 16-18 record with the Saints from 2022-23. He's coming off his first winning season (9-8) but likely needs a playoff berth to warrant a future in New Orleans beyond 2024.

Quarterback Derek Carr

Here are some key metrics from Saints quarterbacks who started the majority of the past two seasons:

Option A: 68.4 percent completion percentage, 4.6 percent touchdown rate, 1.5 percent interception rate, 228.1 yards per game, 97.7 passer rating, 56.5 QBR

Option B: 66.7 percent completion percentage, 4.8 percent touchdown rate, 2.4 percent interception rate, 205.1 yards per game, 95.2 passer rating, 53.1 QBR

Carr is Option A and Panthers backup quarterback Andy Dalton is Option B. It's a little concerning that Carr, who signed a four-year, $150 million contract last offseason, has numbers that are only slightly better, right? 

While the Saints' offense improved from 22nd in scoring in 2022 (19.4 points per game) to ninth in 2023 (23.6 points per game), the team fared worse on third downs and was only marginally better in the red zone. Two seasons ago, New Orleans scored touchdowns on 52.1 percent of its red-zone possession; it improved to 53.3 percent in 2023.

After signing quarterback Nathan Peterman earlier this offseason, fans won't clamor for Carr's backup. Still, he needs to be better than a more expensive version of Dalton to quiet the hometown jeers when he takes the field.

Offensive tackle Trevor Penning

Penning was benched last season, and recent mock drafts by NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. have the Saints selecting offensive tackle Olu Fashanu at No. 14 in the upcoming draft. It's safe to say the pressure is on the No. 19 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft entering his pivotal third year in the league.

He missed most of his rookie season due to a foot injury and struggled mightily in 2023. In five starts, Penning allowed 14 total pressures and three sacks. He was benched following Week 5, forced to play due to injuries in Week 6 and only took 13 snaps from Weeks 7-17.