The NFL head coach hiring cycle finally concluded this week when both of the Philadelphia Eagles coordinators left for new positions: the Arizona Cardinals hired Jonathan Gannon (defense) while the Indianapolis Colts brought in Shane Steichen (offense).
Steichen is one of three first-time head coaches the New Orleans Saints will face off against in 2023, and one of those new coaches is building quite an operation within their own division.
Frank Reich and the Carolina Panthers will get two games with the Saints to back up their offseason hype. Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans is kind of a wild card, given the scale of the rebuild he’s facing, but the upside in a highly-drafted rookie quarterback might be a problem for New Orleans’ defense in the fall.
The Saints had a tough time dealing with first-year head coaches in 2022; Dennis Allen’s team went 1-3 in those matchups (not including a loss to interim Panthers coach Steve Wilks). Let’s take a deeper look at each opponent: