Tag: Coach

Cowboys hire running backs coach away from Saints coaching staff

The Dallas Cowboys are hiring their running backs coach away from the New Orleans Saints. It’ll be a whole new Saints coaching staff in 2025:

It’ll be a new-look New Orleans Saints coaching staff in 2025. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris reports that the Dallas Cowboys are hiring running backs Derrick Foster away from the Saints’ staff, where he held the same position in 2024. Before that, Foster spent three years coaching the Los Angeles Chargers in the same capacity.

His time with the Chargers overlapped with Kellen Moore’s, so it’s a little surprising to see Foster moving on so soon. Moore is the favorite to be hired as head coach after the Philadelphia Eagles compete in Super Bowl LIX. If Foster was a candidate to remain on staff under Moore, who can’t communicate with the team again until after the Super Bowl, you’d think he would wait a week to see if he can stay in New Orleans.

Still, change was probably needed. While Alvin Kamara turned in his best performance in years the other Saints running backs were nothing to write home about. Jamaal Williams averaged 11.7 rushing yards per game. Jordan Mims had just 6.4. Kendre Miller led the trio with 24.7. Clyde Edwards-Helaire had 23.0 but wasn’t re-signed after the season.

So whoever is coaching the Saints running backs in 2025 must get more out of them as a group. Kamara last made the Pro Bowl in 2021 but has seen increasingly heavy workloads. He’s seen the seventh-most combined carries and catches from 2022 to 2024 but ranks fourth in touches per game (19.8). The only players ahead of him are Saquon Barkley (22.1), Josh Jacobs (21.3), and Derrick Henry (20.7). Someone needs to step up, and it’ll fall on their next running backs coach to find them.

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Jets to hire ex-NFL defensive back Chris Harris (no, not that one)

The Jets will hire ex-NFL defensive back Chris Harris as their DBs coach and passing game coordinator. He’s not to be confused with CHJR.

Former NFL defensive back Chris Harris just landed a new coaching position. No, not CHJR.

The New York Jets hired former NFL safety Chris Harris, 42, as their new defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator. He spent eight years in the NFL as a defensive back, spending time with four teams.

Harris then switched to coaching after hanging up his cleats and the Jets mark his fifth stop as a coach. Before landing in New York, he previously served as the Tennessee Titans’ defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach.

The Jets’ Harris is not to be confused with former NFL cornerback Chris Harris Jr., 35. CHJR played cornerback from 2011-2022, spending the majority of his career with the Denver Broncos. He won Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos and earned four Pro Bowl nods and three All-Pro selections during his time in Denver.

The younger Harris might become a coach one day, but it’s not the former Broncos cornerback that was just hired by the Jets.

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High-profile coach returns to NFL with Broncos’ division rival

The Broncos will face a Chip Kelly-coached offense when they play against the Raiders in 2025.

Chip Kelly is returning to the NFL.

The offensive guru has joined the Las Vegas Raiders as their new offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports (via Raiders Wire). Kelly is set to earn an average of $6 million per year in Las Vegas, according to The MMQB’s Albert Breer, making him the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL.

Kelly, 61, has an extensive background in college football. He left Oregon to become the Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach in 2013. Kelly was fired after going 26-21, then he landed with the San Francisco 49ers. After going 2-14 in San Francisco, Kelly was fired again and returned to the NCAA level.

Kelly served as UCLA’s head coach from 2018-2023, going 35-34. He then served as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2024, helping the Buckeyes win a College Football Playoff National Championship.

The Denver Broncos faced the Eagles once when Kelly was their head coach, with the Broncos winning that game 52-20 in 2013. He will now coach a Raiders offense that is set to face Denver twice each season.

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Ian Rapoport says pending Broncos coaching hire is ‘likely’ to happen

The Saints are expected to hire Kellen Moore after the Super Bowl. After that happens, the Broncos will likely hire Darren Rizzi.

Immediately after the Denver Broncos fired former special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica in January, speculation started that Sean Payton could hire Darren Rizzi as the club’s new special teams coach.

Last week, KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis reported that Rizzi “is in line” to get the ST job in Denver if he does not become the new head coach of the New Orleans Saints. That report has since been confirmed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The Saints are expected to hire Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as their new head coach after the Super Bowl. That would leave Rizzi available to land with the Broncos.

“As the #Saints zero in on Kellen Moore, slated to have another conversation with him after the Super Bowl, interim coach Darren Rizzi is likely to become the new #Broncos special teams coordinator, sources say,” Rapoport tweeted last week.

Rizzi, 54, served as a special teams coordinator under Payton in New Orleans and he was promoted to interim head coach last fall after the Saints fired Dennis Allen. He is now expected to reunite with Payton in Denver sometime after the Super Bowl.

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Former Saints quarterback a no-brainer to join Kellen Moore’s staff

The New Orleans Saints have an easy choice for an open spot on Kellen Moore’s coaching staff, and it happens to be a former player.

The New Orleans Saints are seemingly getting close to bringing Kellen Moore in to be their next head coach, which means it is time to start thinking about who could join him on the staff.

One coach in particular makes perfect sense as someone that has experience with both parties. Doug Nussmeier is currently the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, his first year with the team. He held the same role with the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers under Moore as well. It’s clear that there is some chemistry and trust between the two coaches.

The two actually opposed each other back when Moore was the star quarterback of the Boise State Broncos. That’s when Nussmeier was the offensive coordinator of the Fresno State Bulldogs. The Broncos won that game 61-10. Derek Carr came to Fresno State the next year but didn’t start until 2011.

Nussmeier is also familiar with the Saints, as he was a fourth-round selection by the team during the 1994 NFL draft. He spent four seasons in New Orleans, largely as a backup. The quarterback started two games, both losses, and only touched the field in a total of five games. He hopped around for a couple of years as backup, even for the BC Lions of the CFL in 2000.

His coaching career started the next year, still with the Lions. From there he mostly hopped around college, with stays at schools like the Alabama Crimson Tide and Michigan Wolverines, but he has followed Moore around the NFL since they joined forces on the Cowboys. Louisiana football fans will take notice of his more now for being the father of LSU Tigers star passer Garrett Nussmeier.

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Report: Kellen Moore is already recruiting for his Saints coaching staff

The Times-Picayune reports that Kellen Moore is already making calls to potential assistants who could fill out his Saints coaching staff:

All signs point to Kellen Moore becoming the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints — most critically, the fact general manager Mickey Loomis told other candidates in the race he’s waiting until after Super Bowl LIX to make a decision on who he’ll hire. That’s the soonest Moore could meet with the Saints again and agree to take the job, per NFL rules. So it’s increasingly looking more like a question of when, not if, he’ll be introduced to the Black and Gold.

And it may not take long for Moore to hire assistants. The Times-Picayune’s Matthew Paras reports that Moore “has been in contact with potential members of his staff.”

Now who could that be? There are some obvious names out there like Doug Nussmeier, the Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach who previously worked with Moore on the Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys. There’s also Brandon Staley who hired them both to the Chargers and spent the year since as the San Francisco 49ers’ assistant coach. We highlighted both of them as well as several other potential hires Moore could bring with him.

This could all blow up, but that doesn’t feel likely. We’ll guessing we’ll have to wait and see whether Moore wins a Super Bowl for the Eagles on his way out.

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Chicago Bears set to pair Dennis Allen with former Saints defensive line coach

The Chicago Bears are set to add a former New Orleans Saints defensive line coach to the staff on Dennis Allen’s side of the ball:

The New Orleans Saints have another one of their former coaches joining a new NFL team, as defensive line coach Bill Johnson will be added to the Chicago Bears staff along with Dennis Allen. Johnson was a former Saints coach from 2009 to 2016, working with the defensive line, and ended up moving on to the Los Angeles Rams for 2017. He’s spent the time since coaching college football and working in the rebooted XFL.

Johnson had a tough time as the defensive line coach for the Saints, as the front four struggled immensely at times to contain opposing offenses. He was initially brought in under Gregg Williams and was retained as part of the staff that won Super Bowl XLIV for the Saints in the 2009 season. When it came down to it, his influence as a coach was less than stellar in the years to follow, but he did what he needed to do effectively to get a championship which is all that matters in the end.

Chicago will add him to a defensive staff that already brought in Allen, the former Saints head coach, this offseason as well. There are many Saints connections getting new jobs around the league this offseason, and Johnson just adds to that growing list.

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Wil Lutz reacts to Broncos losing assistant special teams coach

“Loved playing for this dude the last two years,” Wil Lutz wrote. “So much respect for Banjo during our time as teammates, and as my coach!”

The Denver Broncos have lost all three special teams coaches from the Sean Payton era.

Assistant head coach Mike Westhoff retired last November, special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica was fired earlier this month and assistant special teams coach Chris Banjo just left to become the new ST coordinator of the New York Jets. All three coached under Sean Payton from 2023-2024 in Denver.

Broncos kicker Wil Lutz took to Twitter/X on Wednesday to react to the news of Banjo leaving for a promotion elsewhere.

“Loved playing for this dude the last two years,” Lutz tweeted. “So much respect for Banjo during our time as teammates, and as my coach! He changed our special teams as a player in New Orleans, and brought energy and knowledge as a coach in Denver. NYJ got a good one!”

Banjo, 34, was a safety and special teams ace in the NFL from 2013-2022. His 10-year career included a stint with the New Orleans Saints, and he joined Payton’s staff in 2023 immediately after hanging up his cleats. Banjo’s quick rise as a coach has landed him a promotion in New York.

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Broncos have to fill 5 positions on Sean Payton’s coaching staff

The Broncos need to fill five positions on Sean Payton’s coaching staff this offseason.

The Denver Broncos were hit hard by other clubs poaching coaching staff talent this offseason.

The Broncos lost assistant special teams coach Chris Banjo to the New York Jets, passing game coordinator John Morton to the Detroit Lions and tight ends coach Declan Doyle to the Chicago Bears.

The 2025 Broncos are the first team since the 2021 Los Angeles Rams to have three coaches poached for coordinator jobs, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Additionally, Denver fired special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica and inside linebackers coach Greg Manusky. That gives the team five total positions on Sean Payton’s staff that need to be filled this offseason.

Broncos coaching staff openings

  1. Special teams coordinator
  2. Assistant special teams coach 
  3. Tight ends coach
  4. Passing game coordinator
  5. Inside linebackers coach 

Ex-senior personnel executive David Shaw also left for a coaching role with the Lions, but his old position is not necessarily one that needs to be filled.

Former New Orleans Saints interim coach/special teams coach Darren Rizzi is considered a top candidate to get the special teams coordinator job in Denver, and Phil Galiano could join him as an assistant.

Former New England Patriots tight ends coach Bob Bicknell could be a potential candidate to fill the TEs coach position in Denver, per Klis. Bicknell coached with Broncos senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael with the New Orleans Saints from 2022-2023 when Carmichael was an offensive coordinator.

We will track all of Denver’s coaching staff moves on Broncos Wire.

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David Shaw leaves Broncos for new role with Lions

Broncos senior personnel executive David Shaw has left the team to become the Lions’ new passing game coordinator.

After serving as a senior personnel executive with the Denver Broncos in 2024, David Shaw has left the team to become the new passing game coordinator for the Detroit Lions, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported on Thursday.

Shaw is the second member of Denver’s staff to leave the team for a role in Detroit this offseason. Earlier this week, former Broncos pass game coordinator John Morton became the Lions’ new offensive coordinator. Shaw and Morton will now be reunited in Detroit.

Denver previously lost assistant general manager Darren Mougey to the New York Jets, who also hired ex-Broncos assistant special teams coach Chris Banjo. Denver also lost tight ends coach Declan Doyle to the Chicago Bears.

Shaw’s old position is not necessarily one that needs to be filled. He joined the Broncos last year in a new role while waiting to get back into coaching, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Now that a coaching position has opened up, Shaw is leaving Denver’s front office.

Shaw, 52, coached Stanford from 2011-2022, going 96-54 as head coach.

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