Tag: Jeff Ireland

Saints’ thorough vetting process may delay their head coach hiring timeline

The New Orleans Saints’ thorough vetting process may delay their head coach decision. There’s a lot of cooks in the kitchen and plenty of candidates available:

The Saints have an in-person interview scheduled with Aaron Glenn on Wednesday. It makes sense they’d strike quickly after the Detroit Lions’ loss to the Washington Commanders.

Glenn has been the projected favorite for New Orleans since Day 1. The MMQB’s Albert Breer reports the Saints are “hoping to do second interviews with all five of the other guys they did virtual interviews with (Mike Kafka, Anthony Weaver, Joe Brady, Kellen Moore, Darren Rizzi).”

It’s been a thorough vetting process. Each of those candidates saw a lot of faces staring back on those initial Zoom calls; not just general manager Mickey Loomis, but his lieutenants Jeff Ireland (another former GM) and Khai Harley, as well as pro scouting coordinator Michael Parenton. Personnel consultants Dave Ziegler and Randy Mueller, both former GM’s, have also been involved with these interviews.

Mike McCarthy has reportedly scheduled an interview for later in the work. Weather permitting, Glenn, Kafka and Weaver have scheduled their interviews for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Where it gets interesting is Brady and Moore, whose teams are still in the playoffs. So is Kliff Kingsbury. If New Orleans is adamant about sitting down with all of these candidates or even just Brady, who feels like one of the top options, the process will extend into next week. This is especially true when factoring in the weather delays that may occur during a rare Louisiana snowstorm.

It could push the Saints into a position where they won’t name a head coach before the Senior Bowl.

You always want to be proactive about scheduling interviews, because you don’t want to place all of your eggs in the Glenn basket. This extended timeline only comes into play if the Saints are adamant about talking to everyone or if Glenn chooses another suitor.

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Saints announce they’ve completed an interview with top head coach target

The New Orleans Saints announced they’ve completed an interview with top head coach target Aaron Glenn. Here’s why the Lions DC is so sought-after:

The New Orleans Saints announced Friday morning that they have completed an interview with Aaron Glenn, one of the top head coach targets in this year’s cycle. Glenn scheduled five interviews with five different teams within a 48-hour window, including the Saints, so he’s been a very busy man. But why is the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator so sought-after?

Glenn lost the NFL’s best pass rusher in the opening weeks of the season when Aidan Hutchinson suffered a broken leg, and the hits kept coming as other starting defensive linemen, linebackers, safeties and cornerbacks were eroded away. And his defense has continued to play lights-out football. They peaked with a shutdown performance against one of the league’s top offenses in the regular season finale, spiking Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold’s MVP odds along the way.

He’s built a reputation as a coach who can maximize the talent available to him and relate to his players. Glenn has a scouting background, too, so there’s a good chance he could be a better influence in the war room with Jeff Ireland’s college scouting department than Dennis Allen was. All of these teams wouldn’t be making time for Glenn without good reason.

Like most of the first round of interviews, this was a virtual meeting between Glenn and the Saints; that’s what the rules dictate for coaches whose teams are still in the playoffs. It sure sounds like Glenn is expected to get a second, more thorough sit-down with the Saints’ brass, but we’ll have to wait and see whether things actually do progress to that stage. Stay tuned.

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Report: Mickey Loomis ‘has a good chance’ to return as Saints GM in 2025

ESPN reports Mickey Loomis ‘has a good chance’ to return as Saints general manager in 2025. He’s already the longest-tenured GM in the league:

Mickey Loomis has just about run out of goodwill with New Orleans Saints fans. Between a playoff drought stretching into its fourth season, a dead-end head coaching hire in Dennis Allen, a series of condescending media appearances, and the decision to move training camp out of state and closed to fans, there haven’t been many moves made by his front office that fans can be proud of.

Plenty of fans have taken to social media calling for Loomis to step down from his post. But it doesn’t sound like that’s in the cards. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that sources around the league don’t expect big shakeup at the top of the Saints’ organization:

The early belief among league insiders is that Mickey Loomis has a good chance to remain as Saints general manager. That’s not 100%, but that’s what people in the know on these sorts of things are predicting. The Saints have traditionally valued connectivity/familiarity, which could be a factor in the interview process (for a new head coach).

It’s not like the Saints don’t have alternatives in the building. Khai Harley, their salary cap expert and vice president of football operations who owns the assistant GM title, has spent years working under Loomis to get the most out of every dollar. Jeff Ireland, also named an assistant GM and vice president of college personnel, is just one of the former general managers in the front office. The players he’s scouted in the draft have gone on to find pro success (frustratingly, too often after the Saints’ coaching staff failed to help them). Other executives and front office personnel like Michael Parenton, Dave Ziegler, and Randy Mueller either have experience leading an organization or are seen as rising stars who could do so.

The point of all this? If continuity to their success five, ten, or fifteen years ago is so important to the Saints, they can maintain that without stubbornly sticking to Loomis. He’s the longest-tenured general manager in the league but he doesn’t have the recent success to show for it. Ultimately the decision is up to Gayle Benson, who has often deferred to Loomis on football decisions. Things could change over the next month, but as it currently stands we should expect Loomis to continue calling the shots in New Orleans.

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Saints’ scouts have attended back-to-back Clemson games

The New Orleans Saints have had scouts including Jeff Ireland at the last two Clemson football matchups against Stanford and Florida State:

The New Orleans Saints scouting department is always out in force throughout the year, and sometimes you can get an idea of who they are looking at based on where their scouts are seen. They’re already hard at work  assembling the team’s big board of prospects for thee 2025 NFL draft.

In the last two weeks, they have been seen at Clemson matchups. Firstly, Jeff Ireland was in the press box for Clemson versus Stanford on Sept. 28 per Tiger Illustrated’s Toby Corriston. Then there were scouts from the Saints at Doak Campbell Stadium to watch Florida State against Clemson, per The State Newspaper’s Chapel Fowler.

These two matchups ended in wins for the Clemson Tigers, which, depending on whether or not the Saints were specifically there to see them or not, could be a good indication for their scouting process of certain players. As of now, some of the top prospects from Clemson are:

  • RT Blake Miller (No. 55 on PFF big board)
  • LB Barrett Carter (No. 82 on PFF big board)
  • QB Cade Klubnik (No. 161 on PFF big board)
  • TE Jake Briningstool (No. 185 on PFF big board)

Each of these positions could be positions of need no doubt, especially tight end as the production from that position has been less than expected this season. All of these four players also fit into the usual height weight metrics for the Saints, especially so for Blake Miller who registers in at 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds. We will see how this progresses throughout the season and if they are seen again at Clemson, as they recently dipped into the Tigers’ talent pool in 2023 taking Bryan Bresee.

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New Orleans Saints hire Dave Ziegler as a personnel advisor

The New Orleans Saints are officially hiring ex-Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler as a personnel advisor after he helped them prepare for the 2024 NFL draft:

The New Orleans Saints have hired former Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler as a personnel advisor, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. This comes after Ziegler worked with the Saints’ front office this offseason before the 2024 NFL draft in an advisory role, but now he’s an official voice in the room.

Ziegler has a long career in various positions across the league, including positions with the Denver Broncos from 2010-2012, New England Patriots from 2013-2021, and Raiders from 2022-2023. All of these roles in some capacity were related to scouting or personnel management, explaining why the Saints would consider him for this fit. He is also a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots, including their 28-3 comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons.

He will join general manager Mickey Loomis, assistant general managers Jeff Ireland and Khai Harley, and others in the front office in scouting personnel for the Saints, and making decisions towards their future as a team. These types of roles are critical to the long-term success of a team in identifying and developing talent, and having the connections to winning that he has had previously is a good sign for what he can bring in this role.

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Pro Football Focus grades Saints draft class with an impressive A+

You don’t see this too often. Pro Football Focus graded the New Orleans Saints’ 2024 draft class with an impressive A+

Take a bow, Mickey Loomis. And Jeff Ireland. You too, Dave Ziegler and Randy Mueller — the four different general managers (past and present) who crowded into the New Orleans Saints’ war room for the 2024 NFL draft.

You don’t see this too often. Pro Football Focus draft analyst Trevor Sikkema awarded the Saints with an elusive A-plus grade for their haul in the 2024 draft. Not just for getting the most out of their early-round picks in right tackle Taliese Fuaga and cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, but for getting great value later on with picks like quarterback Spencer Rattler and offensive tackle Josiah Ezirim, who Sikkema noted as a possible “hidden gem.”

This was a very different approach to the draft than Saints fans have grown used to. The team only traded up once and for the most part let the board come to them, selecting players at great value spots as opposed to forcing a pick at a position just because they needed it. Hopefully this more patient approach yields good results.

Just three other teams received an A-plus in PFF’s final draft grades. Six others were given a solid A, and four more made the cut with an A-minus. So it’s not like all 32 teams were given high marks. But winning the draft is one thing. Winning games in the regular season, so you can even get to the playoffs (which has eluded the Saints for three years in a row) is a whole other challenge. Let’s see Loomis pull that off next.

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WATCH: Saints make the call to draft Taliese Fuaga

Jeff Ireland and Dennis Allen shared the news with Taliese Fuaga that he would be joining them on the New Orleans Saints:

It’s always cool to see new NFL players receive a life-changing phone call. These are arguably the best moments of the draft each year. And the New Orleans Saints made sure to share the moment that their new first-round pick received his phone call. Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga will be wearing black and gold.

College scouting director Jeff Ireland made the call before passing the phone to head coach Dennis Allen, who greeted Fuaga warmly.

“Taliese, how are you doing brother?” Allen grinned, seated next to Gayle Benson in the team’s war room. “I can’t wait to get you here. You’re a tough SOB and that’s what I love about you. That’s thee way we’re going to play. We’re excited about getting you here, we can’t wait to have you.”

Fuaga was a dominant blocker in the same wide zone scheme that Klint Kubiak will be running with the Saints, so it’s easy to see why Allen is so excited to add him. He’ll compete for a starting job from his first day in the building. If things go as planned, he’ll be a big part of their success for years to come.

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Former Saints GM Randy Mueller returns to help with 2024 draft prep

Former Saints GM Randy Mueller returned to help his old friend Mickey Loomis with 2024 draft prep:

It’s not often you see a team’s former general manager return to help out his successor, but that’s the unique position the New Orleans Saints took in  preparing for the 2024 NFL draft. Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan reported that former Saints GM Randy Mueller spent the last two weeks assisting with final evaluations.

Mueller earned recognition as the NFL Executive of the Year back in 2000, having overhauled the Saints’ roster and set them up on the road to recovery from Mike Ditka’s disastrous trade for Ricky Williams. But he was unceremoniously ousted by team owner Tom Benson just a few years later, and replaced by Loomis.

Those two go way back. Loomis followed Mueller to New Orleans from the Seattle Seahawks, and they’ve maintained a relationship even after Mueller was shown the door so many years ago. But Mueller isn’t the only former general manager that Loomis has added to the team’s war room.

Jeff Ireland is another. The former Miami Dolphins executive has ran the Saints’ college scouting department for nearly a decade, and he’s one of the most highly regarded talent evaluators in the league. And we shouldn’t overlook Dave Ziegler. The ex-Las Vegas Raiders general manager joined the Saints earlier this offseason and has been a big help on the pro day circuit helping to gather information.

So there’s really four general managers sharing their input as the Saints approached the 2024 draft: Loomis, Ireland, Ziegler, and Mueller. Hopefully their combined efforts result in some difference-making draft picks.

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2024 NFL draft: Saints sending top evaluators to LSU pro day

As always, the Saints are well-represented at LSU’s pro day. Will they pick any Tigers in the 2024 NFL draft?

As always seems to be the case, the New Orleans Saints were well-represented at LSU’s pro day on Wednesday. But will this be the year they pick any Tigers in the 2024 NFL draft? Few players have gone through Baton Rouge to New Orleans when turning pro, and many of them haven’t done so until they already impressed playing for other teams — guys like Tyrann Mathieu and Foster Moreau.

Since Mickey Loomis was hired as general manager back in 2002, the Saints have drafted just three players out of LSU: wide receiver Devery Henderson (second round, 2004), defensive tackle Al Woods (fourth round, 2010), and offensive lineman Will Clapp (seventh round, 2018). Having so few draft picks come out of a recruiting powerhouse in their own backyard has perplexed Saints fans, but Loomis has always explained it as being the luck of the draw.

Loomis was in attendance on Wednesday, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, as were his top lieutenants: assistant general manager Jeff Ireland, the team’s college scouting department head; assistant general manager Khai Harley, who oversees football operations; and Michael Parenton, who leads the pro scouting department. So was head coach Dennis Allen, first-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko. Who could they be scouting?

LSU boasts a ton of top-100 talent this year. In addition to quarterback Jayden Daniels, a likely top-four pick, wide receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. are seen as first-round talents. Defensive linemen Maason Smith and Mekhi Wingo might be picked on the second day of the draft, too, as second- or third-round picks. Three or four other Tigers could hear their names called during the event’s final rounds of selections. Maybe one of them ends up staying in Louisiana.

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Quick Saints takeaways from Jeff Ireland’s Senior Bowl interview

Quick Saints takeaways on Trevor Penning, the 2023 draft class, Tulane QB Michael Pratt, and more Broncos departures from Jeff Ireland’s Senior Bowl interview:

There are few events more important to the New Orleans Saints’ pre-draft process than the annual Senior Bowl, where coaches and scouts get an opportunity to meet with dozens of draft prospects and see them go through their paces at three days of practices.

Local media caught up with Saints assistant general manager and vice president of college personnel Jeff Ireland this week, who shared his take on a number of topics including players already on the roster and those he’s looking to add. You can find his full media availability session here, but we highlighted some key takeaways: