Saints defensive coordinator and one-time Raiders head coach Dennis Allen is the latest candidate for the Eagles’ head coaching job, according to a report.
Jay Glazer of FOX NFL Sunday reported that Allen is scheduled to meet with the Eagles on Wednesday. He’ll become the ninth candidate to interview for the job that became available when the Eagles fired Doug Pederson nine days ago.
Allen, a highly regarded NFL defensive coach for two decades, interviewed with the Eagles 10 years ago this week for their defensive coordinator vacancy after the team fired Sean McDermott. Allen wound up joining John Fox’s Broncos staff instead, and the Eagles went on to promote offensive line coach Juan Castillo to defensive coordinator.
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SIGN UP HERE Allen became Sean Payton’s defensive coordinator at the start of the 2015 season, inheriting a defense that was ranked 28th in the NFL in 2014.
By 2017, the Saints had a top-10 defense and this past season they were No. 5 in the league in points allowed and No. 4 in yards allowed.
Over the past four seasons under Allen, the Saints ranked 5th in the NFL in points allowed and 9th in yards allowed, went 49-15 and won the NFC West each year.
The Saints’ season ended Sunday with a 30-20 loss to the Buccaneers in the NFC conference semifinal round.
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Allen played college football at Texas A&M and was in training camp with the Bills in 1996 but was released and went into coaching. He began as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M and then coached at Tulsa before getting his first NFL job as a quality control coach with the Falcons under Dan Reeves in 2002.
Payton hired him as assistant defensive line coach in 2006 and promoted him to secondary coach in 2008. Allen left for Denver to become John Fox’s defensive coordinator in 2011 and after one year the Raiders hired him as head coach, replacing Hue Jackson.
The Raiders went 8-28 under Allen, who was fired four games into the 2014 season with the Raiders sitting at 0-4. Allen returned to New Orleans the following season.
Allen’s career .222 winning percentage as a head coach ranks 261st out of 273 coaches in NFL history who’ve coached at least 32 games.
Allen, 48, will become the ninth known candidate to interview for the Eagles’ head coaching vacancy, following Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Patriots inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni.
Of that group, Saleh was named head coach of the Jets and Smith head coach of the Falcons.
Of the seven teams that fire their head coach this offseason, the Eagles and Texans are the only ones who still haven’t named a replacement.
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