Allen Park — There will be a handful of familiar faces on the visitor’s roster and coaching staff, but the 2026 New Orleans Saints will largely be unrecognizable to Dan Campbell, who spent five years with the franchise before accepting the Detroit Lions’ head coaching job in 2021.
The Lions will welcome the Saints to Ford Field next Sunday for the regular-season opener. It will be the first time the conference foes have met in nearly three years.
What’s new with the Saints? Well, nearly everything and it starts with the coaching staff. After almost two decades, the Sean Payton tree was fully uprooted a year earlier. The ship is now helmed by former Lions backup quarterback Kellen Moore, who at 37 years old is the NFL’s second-youngest in the role.
Moore spent three seasons with the Lions (2012-14) after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Boise State. He went on to play another three years with the Dallas Cowboys before transitioning into coaching with the franchise in 2018.
After one year as the Cowboys quarterbacks coach, he was promoted to offensive coordinator under Mike McCarthy. Moore held that position for four seasons, followed by one year stints in the same capacity for the Chargers and Eagles before the Saints came calling in 2025.
Moore largely installed his coaching staff, headed by former Michigan Wolverines offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier filling the same role in New Orleans and former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley running the team’s defense.
Some other members of Moore’s staff who Detroit fans should recognize are defensive line coach Bo Davis, who did the same job with the Lions under Matt Patricia. Also, former offensive coordinator Scott Linehan is a senior offensive assistant.
In terms of the roster, quarterback Drew Brees has been gone so long he was part of the most recent Hall of Fame class. However, after starting eight different options following his retirement, the team seems to have found its next franchise quarterback, 2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough.