After an up-and-down season, some staff changes could have been made, but nothing has happened yet. Still, it's not too late.
The New Orleans Saints finished the season 6-11, and although the later games were excellent, it was nowhere near a perfect year. There are many areas of the roster and staff that can be blamed for some losses or unfortunate performances, but one side of the ball is by far ahead of the rest.
New Orleans' special teams were a major weakness all season. Punter Kai Kroeger was unbelievably inconsistent all season; kicker Blake Grupe's missed FGs were the difference in games; the punt/kick return game was lacking; and the punt/kick coverage was horrible at times.
Kicker Charlie Smyth was the one bright spot, with his story and big-time moments, but even he struggled with consistency. An entire side of the ball struggling with nearly zero positive takeaways demands change, but will the Saints do it?
Why the Saints May Avoid Making Staff Changes
Recently, the Saints were at risk of losing two highly valued coaches: QBs coach Scott Tolzien and TEs coach Chase Haslett. Instead of going to the Pittsburgh Steelers, both coaches returned to the Saints. This was excellent news for the team, especially QB Tyler Shough. Maintaining consistency around the second-year QB is vital to his development, and losing the QB coach who worked closely with him would have been a major setback.
Although this may sound a bit off-topic when discussing the Saints' failure to make their own staff changes, it's actually directly related. Just like with Tyler Shough, the Saints may want to have as much consistency as possible around HC Kellen Moore. Having familiarity around a second-year QB is important, and this stays true for a second-year HC. Even if changes are made, maintaining consistency among the staff may be better for Moore's development, and that improvement could spread to other coaches.
This may be why the Saints won't make their own staff changes, but they still should.
The Glaring Coach Change That Still Must Happen
Like I laid out earlier, after such a disappointing season from the special teams unit, a change needs to be made, and that would be special teams coordinator Phil Galiano. To his defense, it was his first season in this role throughout his young NFL coaching career, but given the impact the special teams woes had on games, it was inexcusable.
Galiano could very well improve this season, and his first year as coordinator may be a fluke, but bringing in a veteran special teams coordinator could be a game-changing addition to this staff. The Saints can not have another season of special teams issues, and if they do keep Galiano, it should not take much to make an in-season change.