The New Orleans Saints' coaching staff shakeup, or at least a majority of it, has been made official heading into the 2023 season.
One year removed from an offseason dedicated to continuity, the Saints have now announced five changes to the coaching staff, with at least a handful more moves likely.
The hires, announced Wednesday morning, are as follows:
- Defensive coordinator: Joe Woods (worked as Browns DC from 2020-'22)
- Secondary coach: Marcus Robertson (worked as Cardinals DBs coach from 2019-'22)
- Defensive line coach: Todd Grantham (worked as analyst for Alabama in 2022)
- Tight ends coach: Clancy Barone (worked as Bears TEs coach from 2019-'21)
- Offensive line assistant: Kevin Carberry (worked as Rams OL coach from 2021-'22)
The most obvious connection comes with Woods and Robertson, who both were hired to current Saints head coach Dennis Allen's staff as DBs coach and assistant DBs coach back in the 2014 season with the then-Oakland Raiders. Allen was fired after an 0-4 start, making it a short-lived experiment. Woods went on to serve as the Denver Broncos DBs coach the following season, where he helped lead the top-ranked pass defense in the NFL en route to a Super Bowl title.
There were only two positions filled solely due to a firing, including TEs coach with Clancy Barone. He'll be taking over the TE coaching duties with the team moving on from Dan Roushar, who also served as the run game coordinator, following the 2022 season. Like many of the current hires, Barone has an extensive NFL history, including stints as a TEs coach for the Atlanta Falcons, then-San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. There are also previous coaching links, not unlike Woods and Robertson. Barone was an assistant OL coach for Texas A&M in 1993, at which point Allen was a player for the Aggies. They also crossed paths in 2014-'15 on the Atlanta Falcons staff, and again in 2011 with the Denver Broncos, where Allen was the defensive coordinator and Barone the TEs coach.
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The hiring of Robertson as secondary coach also came after the team opted to part ways with Co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Kris Richard, who had been in that position the last two seasons.
Fellow co-defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, who also served as the DL coach, departed to take the Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator job that was vacated with the retirement of Dean Pees following the 2022 season.
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Carberry will take the post previously held by Zach Strief, who will be departing to become the OL coach on Sean Payton's new staff with the Denver Broncos. He'll be joined by former Saints assistant Declan Doyle, who has reportedly agreed to sign on as Payton's TE coach. Saints QBs coach Ronald Curry is also reportedly a candidate for the Broncos offensive coordinator opening, and has also been interviewed for the still-vacant OC role with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the firing of Byron Leftwich.
For the Saints, Carberry represents a high-profile addition to work alongside Doug Marrone in the 2023 season, having served as the OL coach for the Rams each of the past two seasons, following a stint as the OL coach and run game coordinator for Stanford from 2018-'20. He could be a candidate to fill that role on the Saints staff going forward.
That means, barring any more changes or departures, the Saints only have two potential roles open heading into 2023. The first would be the offensive assistant post that was vacated by Doyle. The second would be an assistant secondary coach spot that had been vacated by Cory Robinson following the 2022 season. With the change in coaching structure, it's possible the Saints don't fill that job. Woods has a background in coaching defensive backs, and will be expected to have a significant role in that room alongside his duties as the full defensive coordinator.
Read more about each hire in the team's official release announcing the moves.
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