Saints fire key offensive coach out of bye week in attempt to fix one of their biggest weaknesses
The New Orleans Saints sit at 2-5 coming out of their midseason bye week. Coach Kellen Moore is already shaking up his offensive staff, starting with a coach he brought over from Philadelphia.
The New Orleans Saints made a big decision coming out of their midseason bye week, and it centers on the most glaring problem with their offense.
Per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Saints have fired run game coordinator T.J. Paganetti. Paganetti was one of the first hires Saints coach Kellen Moore made during the 2025 offseason as part of his inaugural coaching staff in New Orleans.
The two have a long history together. Paganetti previously worked alongside Moore with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent a total of 10 seasons on the offensive coaching staff. That connection is why his dismissal stands out this early into Moore’s tenure.
Saints’ run game has faltered through seven games
There was plenty of optimism surrounding the Saints’ run game near the end of the 2025 season. That part of the offense has not held up its end of the bargain through seven games this year.
New Orleans has the worst rushing success rate in the NFL through Week 8 at 32.1%, tied with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Saints are also 26th in EPA per rush. You will not find many rushing attacks with lower rankings in both categories as we hit the midway point of the season.
Tyler Shough has played relatively good football at quarterback. He also cannot do it alone. It’s tough to win games with a run game that can’t be relied on from one week to the next. It’s a big reason why the Saints find themselves at 2-5 exiting the bye.
Injuries have played a part as well. Travis Etienne, who signed a four-year, $48 million contract in free agency this offseason, has only played in three games. He’s averaging 4.3 yards per carry when on the field.
In Etienne’s absence, Kendre Miller and Alvin Kamara have taken the lion’s share of the carries. The pair has combined to average just 2.9 yards per carry. Even accounting for the fact that both are filling in, that’s far from good enough.
Offensive line struggles played a role as well
The issues go beyond running back production. Scheme only works if the offensive line executes within it, and New Orleans’ run blocking has been less than stellar this season.
Left tackle Asim Richards, left guard David Edwards, right guard Cesar Ruiz, and right tackle Taliese Fuaga all have a higher negatively graded play rate than positively graded play rate in run blocking this year, according to Pro Football Focus.
That’s four starters losing more reps than they’re winning. The vast majority of the Saints’ offensive linemen are getting beat at the point of attack, which runs counter to the expectation that this would be a quality unit in 2026.
Put it all together, and nothing about the way New Orleans runs the ball is working. The bye week gave the staff time to evaluate the problem, and the Saints are attempting a total reset of that part of the offense.
Why the Saints made the change now
Firing any coordinator in the middle of the season always carries some risk. A new voice has to step in with 10 games left and get the players on the same page in a hurry, without the benefit of an offseason or training camp.
That said, the pressure on Moore and his entire staff is real. A 2-5 start in Year 2 doesn’t buy much patience, and the run game is the most obvious place to start looking for answers.
It makes perfect sense for Moore to try something different rather than ride out a unit that’s sitting at the bottom of the league. Parting ways with a coach he hand-picked and worked with for years in Philadelphia shows he’s willing to make difficult calls to get the offense moving in the right direction.
Whether a new approach can spark Etienne, Kamara, Miller, and the offensive line remains to be seen. The Saints will find out quickly if this reset gives their season a second life.
