The New Orleans Saints have hired three more coaches to continue building out Kellen Moore's staff, and another of them is a familiar one.
The Saints have hired Joel Thomas, most recently with the Giants, to be the new RBs coach, as well as Scott Tolzien as quarterbacks coach, according to reports.
The move means the lone major opening on Moore's offensive staff is offensive coordinator, with Eagles QBs coach Doug Nussmeier expected to be a favorite.
The Saints have also hired TJ Paganetti, according to a report from NewOrleans.football, who served last year as run game specialist and assistant offensive line coach on Moore's staff with the Eagles.
Thomas' return means a familiar face is back in the building after a 1-year exodus, having left in the 2023 season for the same position with the Giants. The Saints opted not to block that move, and it appears the Giants have done the same. Thomas was the running backs coach with the Saints from 2015-'23 and presided over the entirety of Alvin Kamara's career prior to his departure. Derrick Foster took over for the 2024 season on Dennis Allen and Klint Kubiak's staff, and has since been hired in that role by the Cowboys.
Thomas represents the first hire of this cycle that doesn't have a direct coaching link to Moore's career.
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Tolzien is a different story, teaming up with Moore as an assistant on the Cowboys coaching staff from 2020-'22. He was promoted to QBs coach in 2023, the season Moore ended up as the OC for the Chargers, and held that role in 2024.
The other reported hires on the staff include OL coach Brendan Nugent, who was in that role from 2015-'21, and Chase Haslett, the son of Jim Haslett, to coach TEs. The Saints are also expected to retain Keith Williams in the role of WRs coach. None of these moves have been officially announced.
There will also be some questions down the line in terms of assistants, though at this point there has been no change for OL assistant Jahri Ecans, and offensive assistant Jordan Traylor.
New Orleans has clearly prioritized filling out its offensive staff as it interviews candidates for defensive coordinator, a group that includes former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley as the presumptive favorite. The Saints have also set interviews with Eagles pass game coordinator and DBs coach Christian Parker, as well as Vikings defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones.