The focus around the New Orleans Saints for the 2026 season often revolves around the exciting development of second-year quarterback Tyler Shough. Still, there is another second-year Saint that some may be overlooking: Kellen Moore.
Moore is entering his second season as a head coach in the NFL and is already being praised despite coaching the black and gold to a 6-11 record in 2025. The team’s strong 5-4 finish is enough to keep the fans excited and the media interested, but 2026 will be a career-defining year for the young head coach.
The Super Bowl-winning playcaller has his choice of quarterback as the starter, and the roster is starting to take shape as the vision he sold to the front office when he got the job. From adding an explosive running back in free agency with Travis Etienne to putting a superstar talent at wide receiver with a top-10 pick in the draft next to Chris Olave, Moore is building an offense of his dreams.
But with excitement comes pressure. The Saints are now expected to perform the best they have in years, and anything short of it will bring up plenty of questions on Moore’s ability to coach and the Saints’ future altogether. If Shough looks poor, he’ll be a 27-year-old struggling second-year quarterback with not much room to grow. Criticism will be on the team’s “all in” approach on offense, citing the multiple big deals the team made in free agency with the idea that Shough is the guy.
And despite being an offensive coach, if the team were to perform poorly on defense, Moore won’t be fully excused for the struggles. Moore took an offensive-heavy approach in his second offseason with the team, adding less talent than what left in free agency. Sure, they added some strong names such as Kaden Ellis, but New Orleans’ main focus was surrounding their young quarterback with talent.
While a strong-performing offense would likely keep Moore off the hot seat, his approach to building the roster wouldn’t be free from the rough New Orleans criticism if the defense can’t play at a high-level, a level we saw them play at in 2025.
Despite all the pressure, a strong season by Moore and the Saints would be monumental for both sides. The Saints have been a bottom-half team in the NFL since Brees’ departure, and fans are getting restless. Moore and Shough have brought back the spark that had slowly drifted away during that span.
Football is everything to New Orleans. The gumbo tastes better, and crime is down when the Saints are good. While they rightfully aren’t projected to be Super Bowl contenders in 2026, Moore has the chance to make the black and gold competitive again and has the opportunity to win the NFC South. Expectations are high for Moore, and he’s up for the challenge.
