Tag: changes

NFL introducing new position-specific helmets in 2024

The NFL has greenlit a dozen new helmet choices for players, including 8 models specifically for quarterbacks and linemen:

The NFL has unveiled a dozen new helmets for players to choose from in 2024, 8 of which are specifically for quarterbacks and linemen on both sides of the ball. Helmets for quarterbacks are meant to limit the impact to the back of the head when falling backwards. Offensive and defensive linemen collide every snap, so their helmets are meant to protect the front of the head. New Orleans Saints players have been quick to adopt these new equipment options in the past, so we may see more of them this season.

Quarterbacks and linemen are the only positions with helmets catered to them, with hopes wide receivers and defensive backs join this group in 2025. Linebackers and running backs being left out feels on par with how the NFL views the positions. They aren’t viewed as valuable financially. Despite being two of the most violent positions, they aren’t next up for specially designed helmets.

This isn’t the first rollout of position specific helmets, rather a rollout of new models. Last year, only nine quarterbacks and 20 linemen took advantage of these choices. Six of the new helmets have been deemed safe enough to not need the Guardian Cap worn by players in practice. There’s a hope the chance to ditch the Guardian Cap will make more players wear the new helmet. We’ll see whether any Saints players make the switch when practices pick up this summer.

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First look at the New Orleans Saints 2024 offensive coaching staff

The New Orleans Saints 2024 offensive coaching staff is complete. Here’s a look at all of the new faces and returning assistants working with Klint Kubiak:

The New Orleans Saints had a frustrating offense in 2023, which led to an almost complete overhaul of the staff for the 2024 season.

Starting with a new offensive coordinator in Klint Kubiak, the Saints filled out a new staff that only has a couple of returning names. With the list of potential coordinators that the Saints interviewed, it is clear that the team wanted to take a younger and more innovative approach this season. Most of the traces of the Sean Payton era are now gone from the offense as they now embrace the new era of offensive football.

Here are all of the coaches that will run the Saints offense in 2024, as the team tries to find success with the same core players:

Saints assistant Jordan Traylor has a new assignment in 2024

New Orleans Saints assistant coach Jordan Traylor has a new assignment in 2024: working with the quarterbacks

The New Orleans Saints are hiring within their own staff as Jordan Traylor has been promoted to the assistant quarterbacks coach, replacing D.J. Williams, per 247 Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

Traylor played college football at Texas A&M as a quarterback, and has been with New Orleans for five years now. He spent two years as a scouting assistant before joining the coaching staff as a defensive assistant. He switched to offense last season and will now move up to his new role for 2024. It’s clear that he has made a name for himself in New Orleans as he will stick around among a lot of offensive turnover on the staff.

Traylor will work closely with recently hired quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko. It’s a positive that the Saints were able to find at least some continuity within the offensive staff as Janocko remains an up-and-coming coach at just 36 years old. Janocko could leave for a promotion of his own if Derek Carr makes rapid progress in the fall. Developing in-house replacements like Traylor is a key to sustaining success.

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Saints adding another former Gary Kubiak assistant to 2024 coaching staff

The Saints are adding another former Gary Kubiak assistant to their coaching staff, who has also worked with Klint Kubiak before:

The New Orleans Saints are putting an emphasis on getting their run game right in 2024, which means bringing in new coaches — and there’s going to be a lot of synergy between some of their most important new additions. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has already picked John Benton as his offensive line coach, and Nola.com’s Matthew Paras reports that Rick Dennison is being added to the coaching staff in a yet-to-be-determined role.

Dennison, 65, has worked with Kubiak before on the Minnesota Vikings as a senior advisor, offensive line coach, and run game coordinator. But before that, he worked under Gary Kubiak on the Houston Texans as their offensive coordinator. At that same time, Benton was the Texans offensive line coach.

They both played a key part in developing a strong Houston offensive line and dominant rushing attack led by Arian Foster, who averaged 98.5 yards per game and scored 47 touchdown runs in 54 games when they were both on staff from 2010 to 2013 (including the playoffs). The Saints are hoping to get similar production out of Kendre Miller and Alvin Kamara by installing a similar one-cut rushing scheme.

So while Dennison’s exact role is yet unknown, we should expect him to be working with the offensive line and run game in some capacity given it’s his area of expertise. And the Saints could use the help. They haven’t gotten enough out of young draft picks in that phase like Miller and offensive linemen Trevor Penning, Cesar Ruiz, and Nick Saldiveri. Upgrading the rushing attack should help take pressure off of Derek Carr and buy more time for the defense to rest up until their numbers are called to go into the game. We can see from these moves that the Saints are taking a well thought-out approach by hiring coaches who have found success together before. Hopefully it pays off.

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Report: Sean Payton hiring another former Saints player to his coaching staff

ESPN reports that Sean Payton is adding another former Saints player to his coaching staff: longtime Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard

Here’s Sean Payton with a big here: ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler report that the Denver Broncos are hiring another one of Payton’s former New Orleans Saints players to his coaching staff. Jim Leonhard is in discussions with Denver to return to the NFL as the Broncos defensive backs coach.

Leonhard has been a big name in the college ranks — he rose to prominence as the defensive coordinator at his Wisconsin alma mater, developing many future NFL players, and he most recently worked at Illinois as a senior analyst. But before that he played in the NFL for a decade. He joined the Saints for training camp back in 2013.

He’s also interviewed for several NFL openings in recent years, but it looks like his first shot will come in Denver working with his old coach. Payton has given many of his former players opportunities to work on his coaching staff. Some of them are still with him on the Broncos like offensive line coach Zach Strief, assistant special teams coach Chris Banjo, and offensive quality control coach Logan Kilgore.

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Saints lose assistant coach D.J. Williams to the Falcons

The Saints are losing assistant coach D.J. Williams to the Falcons. He was a big supporter of Jake Haener, having coached the QB at last year’s Senior Bowl:

Good luck out there D.J. Williams — you’ll need it on the Atlanta Falcons. Rod Walker first reported for the Times-Picayune | Advocate that Williams, the longtime New Orleans Saints offensive assistant coach, will be leaving to join the Falcons under head coach Raheem Morris. He’ll take over as as their new assistant quarterbacks coach after initially being offered a different role on staff in New Orleans.

A standout college quarterback himself at Grambling State, Williams worked closely with the passers and was someone Derek Carr spoke of highly last season. He had been with the Saints since the 2017 season. He also represented the Saints at the 2023 Senior Bowl coaching quarterbacks on the National Team roster; a group which included Jake Haener, who the Saints traded up to draft in the fourth round last offseason. With Williams leaving town, Haener is losing a big supporter.

So why let him go? Incoming offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is expected to sign his contract and be formally introduced by the Saints after his San Francisco 49ers are finished competing in Super Bowl LVIII, and he must have someone else in mind for the job as an offensive assistant working with the quarterbacks. That’s the job his brother Klay has held with the 49ers but it’s unclear whether they would block a move to join the Saints as an assistant. We’ll get a better idea of who Kubiak wants on his staff after he’s officially hired next week.

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Buccaneers hire their new offensive line coach from the Saints’ staff

The Buccaneers hired their new offensive line coach from the Saints’ staff, reuniting a couple of ex-Rams assistants:

It’s another offseason with opposing NFC South teams poaching talent from the New Orleans Saints. ESPN’s Dan Graziano first reported that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hiring their new offensive line coach from the Saints’ staff — Kevin Carberry is joining them after working as an offensive line assistant in New Orleans last year.

That isn’t surprising. Carberry was previously the Los Angeles Rams offensive line coach before coming to the Saints, where he had worked with new Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen. The two know each other well and it makes sense for Coen to bring in someone who’s done the job before.

On top of that, the Saints are reportedly targeting former San Francisco 49ers offensive line coach John Benton for the same position on their staff. After dismissing Doug Marrone, it’s unclear whether they wanted to retain Carberry with Benton possibly favoring his own assistants (to say nothing of Klint Kubiak’s input as the incoming offensive coordinator). What this means for Jahri Evans, the Saints’ other assistant offensive line coach, is unclear. Hopefully the future Hall of Famer can work well in a new system, but we’ll have to wait and see if he’s being retained.

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Ronald Curry will not be a part of the Saints coaching staff under Klint Kubiak

Ronald Curry will not be a part of the Saints coaching staff under Klint Kubiak. It’s a whole new look for the New Orleans offense:

This is tough news, but it was always a possibility with the New Orleans Saints overhauling their offensive coaching staff. The Times-Picayune | Advocate’s Jeff Duncan reports that longtime New Orleans Saints assistant coach Ronald Curry will not be part of the team with Klint Kubiak coming in as offensive coordinator. He’ll be pursuing other opportunities.

Curry was popular with his players. A standout college quarterback himself, he steadily rose through the ranks in New Orleans as a wide receivers coach before working with the quarterbacks, and he was promoted further as the team’s passing game coordinator under former offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. But he isn’t part of the plans with Kubiak bringing in his own staff.

So what’s next for Curry? That’s yet to be determined, but odds are he’ll wind up in Denver. Sean Payton tried to coax him into joining the Broncos last year but Curry opted to stay in New Orleans instead. It shouldn’t shock anyone if Payton tries to recruit him again.

And with Curry leaving the team the Saints will need to hire a new quarterbacks coach, and maybe a passing game coordinator if that role exists in Kubiak’s offense. What’s clear more than anything else: Dennis Allen is giving Kubiak a lot of leeway to organize the offense as he sees fit. If that means parting ways with well-established, popular assistants like Curry, so be it.

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Report: Saints retaining tight ends coach Clancy Barone for 2024

Locked On Saints host Ross Jackson reports that tight ends coach Clancy Barone will stay in New Orleans on Klint Kubiak’s staff for 2024:

This is a good move: Locked On Saints host Ross Jackson reports that tight ends coach Clancy Barone will stay on board with the New Orleans Saints, joining incoming offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s staff for 2024.

Barone, 60, previously worked with him on the Denver Broncos when his father Gary Kubiak was head coach; Barone coached the offensive line while the younger Kubiak was an offensive assistant. Their paths diverged from there, with Barone most recently coaching tight ends for the Chicago Bears before coming to New Orleans.

So it makes sense to keep someone with familiarity to the system Kubiak is installing. Hopefully Barone can sustain the success the Saints’ tight ends found late in the season. Juwan Johnson finished strong by catching three touchdown passes and averaging 54 yards per game in the final four weeks. Taysom Hill was impactful throughout the season but they should be getting more out of Foster Moreau. Still, if the opportunity is there to add a game-changing talent like Georgia tight end Brock Bowers in the 2024 NFL draft, the Saints should consider it as an upgrade.

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Instant analysis on Saints interview requests and coaching staff moves

We’re tracking Saints interview requests with instant analysis on every coaching staff move. Check this space often for updates:

The 2024 offseason has kicked off in earnest for the New Orleans Saints: longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael is out, as are multiple position coaches and assistants.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen will be back and he’s hard at work rebuilding his staff, looking for upgrades to get them back to the playoffs in 2024. We’re keeping up with every interview request and staff change as they’re reported, so check this space often for updates.

Here’s what we know so far: