NFL news: Former Oakland head coach Dennis Allen joining New Orleans as defensive assistant

After an unsuccessful stint as the Oakland Raiders head coach, Dennis Allen has rejoined Sean Payton in New Orleans.

Former Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen will be rejoining the New Orleans Saints as a senior defensive assistant to DC Rob Ryan.

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According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Allen will rejoin head coach Sean Payton in the city where the pair won Superbowl XLIV back in 2010.  Allen, at the time, was the defensive backs coach under former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. He served with the team from 2007 until 2010 and was later hired as the Defensive Coordinator of the Denver Broncos in 2011.

After helping the Broncos reach the playoffs under head coach John Fox, Allen was hired as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2012 but struggled to succeed with the organization’s loss of draft picks and small salary cap. In 2012 and 2013 the Raiders finished with a 4-12 record, and an 0-4 start to the 2014 season led to his firing.

It is possible that the hiring of Dennis Allen could also be a case of the New Orleans Saints hedging their bets on Rob Ryan, whose defense fell apart in 2014 after finishing 4th in the NFL in 2013. If another defensive struggle results in Ryan’s dismissal, the Saints would have a more than adequate replacement for him already in the fold.