Tag: cory robinson

Two former Saints assistants reunite with Ryan Nielson

Two ex-New Orleans Saints coaches reunited with Ryan Nielson on the Jacksonville Jaguars: Kris Richard and Cory Robinson

Former New Orleans Saints co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen was recently hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars to be their new defensive coordinator. And it’s shaping up for a very familiar defensive coaching staff in Jacksonville; Nielsen has been quick to reunite with two former Saints colleagues.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 has reported the hiring of Kris Richard by the Jaguars. Richard was most recently the co-defensive coordinator (alongside Nielsen) and secondary coach for the Saints in 2022. Before that he was the defensive coordinator for the Seahawks and defensive passing game coordinator for the Cowboys. He did not coach in 2023.

Nielsen also recently added Cory Robinson to the defensive staff as well. Robinson was mostly recently an analyst for the Tennessee Volunteers, but was a part of the 2021-2022 Saints staff with both Nielsen and Richard where he worked as an assistant defensive backs coach. With speculation swirling that Saints star cornerback Marshon Lattimore could be traded this offseason, the Jaguars suddenly look like a possible suitor given all these coaching connections and their bottom-8 finish in both passing yards allowed and touchdown passes yielded in 2023.

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Report: Jaguars adding Kris Richard, Cory Robinson to defensive staff

The Jaguars’ defensive coaching staff is taking shape.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are adding Kris Richard and Cory Robinson to their defensive coaching staff, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2.

Richard and Robinson were both on the New Orleans Saints’ coaching staff during Ryan Nielsen’s time with the franchise. Nielsen and Richard served as co-defensive coordinators for the Saints in 2022 while Robinson was an assistant defensive backs coach. Earlier this week, the Jaguars hired Nielsen as their new defensive coordinator.

The exact job titles for the two new coaches in Jacksonville hasn’t yet been revealed, although both have primarily worked with defensive backs.

Richard didn’t coach during the 2023 season, but previously spent three seasons as the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator and had a two-year stint as passing game coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys.

Robinson spent the 2023 season as a defensive analyst for the Tennessee  Volunteers. He also previously coached in the collegiate ranks at Maryland, Rutgers, Toledo, and Temple. According to Wilson, he’ll be a cornerbacks coach with the Jaguars, although it’s unclear for now if he’ll be the lead coach for the position or an assistant cornerbacks coach.

The Jaguars finished the 2023 season 26th in passing yards allowed and 25th in passing touchdowns allowed.

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Report: Saints hire former Cardinals defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson

The Saints are reportedly hiring former Cardinals defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson. He brings a strong resume and connections with Dennis Allen and Joe Woods:

Here’s another new addition to the New Orleans Saints coaching staff: Arizona Football Daily’s Mike Jurecki reports that the Saints are bringing in former Arizona Cardinals defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson, who was previously linked to the team by CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson. Robertson has a strong resume with 12 years as a player in the league and several years working in player development before he turned to coaching.

He also has some connections with Saints head coach Dennis Allen and defensive coordinator Joe Woods. Robertson was Woods’ assistant under Allen on the 2014 Oakland Raiders squad, and he later joined Woods on the Denver Broncos beneath head coach Vance Joseph (where they coached up Bradley Roby, who now plays for the Saints). He brings a lot of energy and insight to the coaching staff, which should be a welcome injection after the team moved on from secondary coach Kris Richard and defensive assistant Cory Robinson this offseason.

This is a good hire, even if it’s drawing some criticism for Allen getting his old Raiders team back together (in addition to Woods and Robertson, he’s working to acquire quarterback Derek Carr). But his back is against the wall in 2023 after the 2022 season turned into a big disappointment. Sink or swim, Allen is surrounding himself with his own coaches. His secondary only intercepted 7 passes last season and 2 of them came from backup safety Daniel Sorensen. If these new assistants can help the Saints make more plays on the back end and give their offense more opportunities to close out games, it will have been worth it.

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Report: Saints assistant Cory Robinson’s contract is up, may coach elsewhere in 2023

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that New Orleans Saints defensive assistant Cory Robinson’s contract has expired, and he may coach elsewhere in 2023:

This might be concerning. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that New Orleans Saints assistant coach Cory Robinson is a free agent after letting his contract expire following the 2022 season. Robinson has coached the secondary in New Orleans and managed the defensive backs room last year. He recently worked at the Senior Bowl, coaching several safety prospects on the American Team roster.

Robinson should have options. He could go join Aaron Glenn on the Detroit Lions defense or get a look with Sean Payton on the Denver Broncos, or get a fresh start entirely somewhere else. Depending on where Kris Richard goes next, Robinson may join him. He’ll be a highly sought-after coach given how well the Saints pass defense has performed in recent years.

Letting go of a talented young coach feels like a mistake. At the same time, you can’t fault Robinson for pursuing better opportunities. If he can get a bigger role on another team on the rise, he owes it to himself to chase it. There’s still a chance he returns to New Orleans as an assistant on Dennis Allen’s staff, but the decision to hire Joe Woods as Richard’s replacement at defensive coordinator makes him a de facto secondary coach given his resume.

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Senior Bowl coaching staff selects Saints assistant Cory Robinson

The Senior Bowl has selected Saints assistant Cory Robinson for its American Team coaching staff, where he’ll work with draft prospects like LSU’s Jay Ward:

The Senior Bowl announced Tuesday that it has selected New Orleans Saints assistant defensive backs coach Cory Robinson for its coaching staff, where he’ll work with draft prospects throughout a week of practices leading up to the all-star game. He’s one of four Saints coaches who will be working the event, along with passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry (the National Team offensive coordinator) and offensive assistant Declan Doyle (the American Team tight ends coach), plus another coach to be named later.

Robinson will be coaching the American Team safeties Jay Ward (LSU), Demarcco Hellams (Alabama), Jammie Robinson (Florida State), and Christopher Smith II (Georgia). This is a good opportunity for him to get valuable on-field and classroom experience while familiarizing himself with some of the prospects entering the 2023 draft.

Safety is a minor need for the Saints, who have a couple of older players under contract for the next two years in Marcus Maye and Tyrann Mathieu. Maye missed seven games with injuries in 2022 and his backups, Justin Evans and Daniel Sorensen, didn’t inspire a ton of confidence. If they can tackle bigger problems in free agency, it would make sense to draft a safety in preparation for taking one of those roster spots in the near future.

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Saints to hire Maryland coach Cory Robinson to defensive staff

The New Orleans Saints are expected to hire Maryland Terrapins coach Cory Robinson, a respected defensive assistant from the college ranks.

The New Orleans Saints appear to have filled the vacancy left by assistant defensive backs coach Leigh Torrence, with Maryland defensive passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach Cory Robinson set to join them. News of Robinson’s addition was first reported by AL.com’s Matt Zenitz, which was confirmed by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.

Torrence left for a higher position with the New York Jets, rejoining defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (who Torrence once played for when they were both with the Saints, back in the early 2010’s). It’s a bit of a surprise that the Saints added someone to replace him this late in the game, but they obviously value having as many eyes as possible on the back end of the defense. He’ll work with secondary coach Aaron Glenn and senior defensive assistant Peter Giunta.

But let’s circle back to Robinson. He joined Maryland coach Michael Locksley’s staff just a year ago, having first worked as the Terps’ director of player personnel back in 2015. Sandwiched in-between were stops at Toledo (2016), Temple (2017), and Rutgers (2018), as cornerbacks coach.

This feels similar to the addition of defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen back in 2017. Like Robinson, Nielsen was a highly-regarded position coach who had earned a promotion to the NFL by successfully recruiting and developing talented athletes. Nielsen has done a great job coaching up inexperienced players like David Onyemata and Marcus Davenport; now, Robinson will get the same opportunity.

The Saints will go into the 2020 season with their coaching staff largely intact. While linebackers coach Mike Nolan was hired away by the Dallas Cowboys as their new defensive coordinator, the Saints made an in-house promotion to elevate Michael Hodges into that spot. With Robinson filling in for Torrence, New Orleans is poised to run it back one more time.

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