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Following another frustrating loss by the New Orleans Saints a week and a half ago in Paris, the club made some roster moves and a coaching change in hopes of swaying their owner and their fans while improving any future outcomes.

The Saints departed with kicker Daniel Carlson on Tuesday in a move that was expected, then returned a fan favorite, running back Audric Estimé was claimed off Cleveland waivers, bringing back a runner who performed well in spurts for the Saints at the end of last year and during this preseason.

The cherry on top, if you are into sundae's and such, was the firing of running game coordinator TJ Paganetti by head coach Kellen Moore in an effort to liven up a moribund rushing half of the offense that had ground to almost a halt in Paris when the Saints rushed for 18-yards on 17-carries.

But is any of this enough?

New Kicker is Not New

A reliable kicker in the NFL is not easy to find. The Saints should know. In the last dozen-plus years, the Saints have had an almost non-stop carousel of place kickers. From Wil Lutz, to Kai Forbath, to Blake Grupe, to Charlie Smyth, to Daniel Carlson (and now back to Smyth), the total number of place kickers the Saints have gone through now stands at 11 (not including any repeats).

And drafting one doesn't always work either. Ask any Saints fan who's been around long enough about Russell Erxleben.

So the Saints go back to where they were at the end of 2025, with the Irishman coming back to give it a try. It almost feels like the Saints are settling at this point.

Saints Running Game Searching for Answers

With the firing of Paganetti, responsibility falls on offensive line coach Brendan Nugent. The 13-year NFL coaching veteran has been with the Bears, the Chargers, and the Seahawks, along with the Saints twice. This is his second time with the team, spending time from 2015-2021 with the club as an assistant offensive line coach then the O-line coach in that last year of the Sean Payton era before moving on to the Chargers.

The question of "too many chefs in the kitchen" came up this week in questions from the media. Though neither Moore or any of the players we spoke with would acknowledge that as a possibility, one word kept coming up: streamlining.

Having more chefs than necessary can muddy the waters, which is why Moore pointed to the "streamlining" of the run game. To us, that means simplification of such.

An offensive line coach is tasked with making his crew work as a unit, more than any other grouping in football. In order for that to happen, sometimes that means decluttering what is being done.

That is what will need to be done here. Simple plays that are designed to work clearly. Simple blocking techniques can be used to make the running game more, well, simple. Executing specific coordinated assignments such as double-team or wedge blocking at times would be simpler, but both down and cut blocks, sealing defenders inside or at a disadvantageous angle so ball carriers can hit creases, especially off-tackle, would help to make this more of an orchestrated effort.

If the Saints expect to make the run game work with what they have on the roster right now, the process must be as straightforward and uncomplicated as possible. Not because these player cannot handle more sophisticated schemes, but because they must work as a unit on simpler things before moving on to those that are not.

Saints On SI Conclusion

If the Saints cannot get a kicker on board for the rest of the season, one who can actually be reliable in the special teams game, and if the run game cannot produce the simplest of yardage, then the moves made by the Saints this week will be nothing more than a work of smoke and mirrors.

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