The Saints suddenly have a lot of shoes to fill up and down their coaching staff heading into the 2023 season, and one potential suitor has been identified.
The Saints are planning to interview Joe Woods, most recently the Browns defensive coordinator, for that role on Dennis Allen's staff, according to a report from the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Woods is a 26-year coaching veteran and has worked his way around a good chunk of the NFL, serving in assistant roles with the Browns, 49ers, Broncos, Raiders, Vikings and Bucs. He spent the past three seasons on the Browns staff under Kevin Stefanski, but was fired after the 2022 season which saw middling results from a talented defensive group and a major dropoff from an impressive 2021 campaign. Woods served as defensive backs coach on Allen's Raiders staff in 2014 and has also served as a defensive coordinator with the Broncos from 2017-'18.
The Saints are in position to need a new DC after the departure of Ryan Neilsen to take over the defense for the Atlanta Falcons, and the decision to part ways with Kris Richard. That pair had served as co-DCs on Allen's Year 1 staff, with Nielsen continuing to coach the defensive line and Richard the secondary, as they had previously.
That unusual setup means it's possible that the Saints replace those two coaches with three, should the team opt to hire a DC that doesn't pull double-duty with a position group. Regardless, it's a major shakeup on a defense that finished the season among the best in the NFL but took its share of lumps early in the year.
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The Saints will also be in the market for a new TE coach after parting ways with Dan Roushar, who also served as the run game coordinator this past season. It's unclear what's next for Richard, though it's possible he becomes a target to join his former boss in Sean Payton, who was traded to the Denver Broncos earlier this week. Richard was also interviewed by the Carolina Panthers for their vacant DC position, but that was before the hiring of Frank Reich as the team's next head coach.
While Woods' would make sense to be a front-runner for the job due to his connection to Allen, it's likely a handful of other names emerge in the coming weeks for each vacated role. Stay tuned for updates.
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