By admin 
It has been a long week for Brandon Staley, and the New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator still has the unbeaten Vikings coming to the Superdome on Sunday. First came a 45-24 loss to Atlanta on a night built around the 20th anniversary of the Dome’s reopening after Katrina. Then came a national prediction that he will not be calling the defense much longer.
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Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote Friday, in a set of coaching predictions, that the Saints will hand play-calling to defensive pass game coordinator Terry Joseph, most likely at the Week 8 bye. Knox stopped short of predicting a firing. He cited “poor gap integrity, bad tackling, and frequent coverage breakdowns in the secondary” and wrote that “a fresh voice might help.”
What the numbers say about Staley’s defense
New Orleans has allowed 128 points, the most in the NFL, and most of the damage has come on the ground. Opponents have run for 591 yards in four games, and the Falcons scored five rushing touchdowns on Monday. The tackling complaint holds up as well. PFF has charged the Saints with 34 missed tackles, including six by cornerback Quincy Riley and five by safety Justin Reid. Staley took responsibility as the play-caller this week and pointed to technique and assignments, according to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, while disputing Troy Aikman’s on-air suggestion that he had no answers for Atlanta. “I have no idea what he was talking about,” Staley said. He was without linebacker Kaden Elliss and edge rusher Carl Granderson in that game.
Joseph would be a hometown choice. He grew up in New Orleans, won a state title as a player at Archbishop Shaw on the West Bank and coached there before stops at LSU, Notre Dame and Texas, according to his team bio.
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He has never been a defensive coordinator. His side of the defense is the one holding up, with the Saints 15th in passing yards allowed through four weeks and 30th against the run, so the move would ask a secondary coach to repair a run defense.
Minnesota, the Giants and Pittsburgh come before the bye. Three more games like Monday and the Saints will get there with the trade deadline close behind and a decision to make about the call sheet.
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More on the New Orleans Saints
- Brian Flores a Dangerous Test for New Orleans Saints and Banged-Up Tyler Shough
- Saints Rank 26th or Worse at Tackle, and Dylan Cook Could Start on Either Side After a Trade
- Chase Young’s $51 Million Contract Is Starting to Look Like the Saints’ Smartest Decision
- Saints’ NFL Power Rankings Roundup Has New Orleans Sinking After Blowout Loss to Falcons
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This story was originally published October 9, 2026 at 7:35 AM.