Tag: Klint Kubiak

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:

Dennis Allen lays out how Saints revamped their coaching staff

Dennis Allen reviewed the Saints’ offensive coaching changes with what he calls a mix of forward-thinkers and veterans who have “been there, done that” in the NFL:

Dennis Allen’s appearance on NFL Network this week was informative. His description of the New Orleans Saints’ revamped offensive coaching staff is exactly what the team needed. Allen described the staff as a “mixture of some older, veteran coaches that have ‘been there, done that,’ with some younger, progressive mindset kind of guys” led by new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

The Saints have been in desperate need of youthful energy, so younger coaches like quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko and running backs coach Derrick Foster are welcome additions. But revamping their offensive line development with a couple of experienced Gary Kubiak assistants like John Benton and Rick Dennison is a smart move, too.

For the past two years the Saints have felt like a poor rendition of Sean Payton’s offense. The problem is you didn’t have Sean Payton running it, so the offense felt outdated. Hiring Kubiak was a great first step towards a more modern NFL offense. The “Shanahan System” will feature more pre-snap motion, more movement during the play, and innovative aspects you see in the prolific offense now.

Regardless of it was Kubiak or someone else the Saints needed to be progressive. Grabbing multiple coaches with that forward-thinking mindset was necessary. This will be a drastically different offense aesthetically in 2024. Allen identified how the Saints needed to change their offense and has made the proper steps towards that change.

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CBS Sports analyst predicts Saints will fall short in 2024

CBS Sports analyst believes the Saints could take a step back in 2024. This belief stems from a lack of confidence in one man:

The New Orleans Saints failed to meet expectations in 2023, and CBS Sports analyst Jeff Kerr believes they’re in line to take an even farther step back next season. This is complete 180 from the spirits locally. Many local fans seem more optimistic after the hiring of Klint Kubiak. Kerr is looking higher than Kubiak and right at Dennis Allen.

New Orleans can still win the NFC South in 2024, but is the ceiling 9-8 with Dennis Allen as head coach? The Saints don’t have a great front office structure, nor a good head coach in place to get the most out of a group that should be better than the record shows. 

Questions and doubt about Allen won’t subside until the season begins. This isn’t a roster problem in Kerr’s eyes. Honestly, it’s hard to disagree with his reason for hesitancy.

It seemed the Saints had a quality roster to be better than they were. Instead, they were the league’s biggest underachievers in 2023. Pointing to the coach for not maximizing the talent and doubting he’ll be able to next year are reasonable. That’s why Kubiak was brought in in hopes of maximizing offensive talent.

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Saints hire Keith Williams as their new wide receivers coach

The Saints hired Keith Williams as their new wide receivers coach. Before coming to the NFL, he was a personal trainer for All-Pros like Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill:

The New Orleans Saints have a wide receivers coach: Keith Williams announced on social media that he has accepted the job on Klint Kubiak’s offensive coaching staff under head coach Dennis Allen. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that he received a two-year contract with the team.

Williams previously worked as the Baltimore Ravens assistant receivers coach. But before that, he spent two decades working as a personal trainer for All-Pro wide receivers like Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill. He’s also coached at the college level, having worked with Adams (and Saints quarterback Derek Carr) at Fresno State.

So he has a strong resume. The Saints have a number of young wide receivers for him to develop in Chris Olave, A.T. Perry, and exclusive rights free agent Rashid Shaheed, who is expected to return on a one-year deal before becoming eligible for a long-term extension in 2025. It looks like the Saints have filled all their vacancies on offense, but stay tuned for confirmation and any late additions to the coaching staff.

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Saints free agent report card: Was Jamaal Williams a good veteran signing?

We’re kicking off our New Orleans Saints free agent report cards with Jamaal Williams. The veteran running back didn’t meet expectations in 2023:

We’re kicking off our New Orleans Saints free agent report cards with Jamaal Williams. The veteran running back didn’t meet expectations in 2023 after being heralded as an ideal tag-team partner for Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill. Here’s a look back at his first season in New Orleans, his contract status, and what’s next for him:

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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Klint Kubiak-Derrick Foster pairing can maximize Saints’ running backs

The Klint Kubiak-Derrick Foster pairing should ensure Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller’s versatility is maximized in 2024:

As the New Orleans Saints fill out the offensive coaching staff, they have closed in on Derrick Foster as their running backs coach. Foster comes over to New Orleans after three years with the Los Angeles Chargers in the same position. He’ll be working under offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and the pairing has the potential to elevate the running backs room.

The versatility of Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller can be maximized by this coaching duo. In Foster’s two years in Los Angeles, running back Austin Ekeler led the league in total touchdowns (rushing and receiving). His tutelage will likely leave a larger impression on Miller as a young player, but Kamara will benefit as well from a coach familiar with using a versatile player, such as Kamara.

Kubiak has a similar level of expertise. He worked with Christian McCaffrey, this year’s leader in touchdowns, on the San Francisco 49ers. Seeing Kyle Shanahan get the most out of McCaffrey’s many talents has to have taught him some things in how to best deploy Kamara.

The combination of Kubiak installing a running back-friendly scheme and familiarity with dual-threat playmakers should help the Saints maximize the talents at the position. Expect more catches and touchdowns for both Kamara and Miller in 2024.

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Saints targeting Ravens assistant Keith Williams for WR coach

The Saints are targeting Ravens assistant Keith Williams for their wide receivers coach; he coached Derek Carr at Fresno State and previously worked at Tulane

Here’s another name to watch as the New Orleans Saints fill out their offensive coaching staff. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that the Saints are interviewing Baltimore Ravens assistant Keith Williams for their wide receivers coach opening, looking to replace Kodi Burns.

Williams has spent the last three years in Baltimore, initially starting out as the team’s pass game specialist before focusing his work on the receiving corps. But he’s been in the game a long time. Before coming to the NFL he coached at Nebraska, Tulane, and Fresno State, working closely with Derek Carr and Davante Adams early in their college careers.

So he’d obviously have some familiarity with Carr and new insight to bring to the coaching staff. We’ll see if the Saints are able to seal the deal and pull Williams away from Baltimore, so stay tuned. Klint Kubiak has checked most of the boxes in filling out his new-look offensive coaching staff, with a receivers coach being the last major spot to fill.

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Dennis Allen issues statement on hiring new OC Klint Kubiak

New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen issued a statement on the team hiring its new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak:

The New Orleans Saints have announced that Klint Kubiak will be officially hired as their new offensive coordinator, replacing Pete Carmichael — who had been the longest-tenured OC in the league. But change was needed, and it falls on Kubiak to install a new system that can maximize the talents of players like quarterback Derek Carr, running back Alvin Kamara, and wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.

One person who’s jazzed about the pickup: head coach Dennis Allen, who laid out Kubiak’s qualifications and expectations on Wednesday afternoon.

“We are excited to announce Klint Kubiak as our offensive coordinator,” Allen said in a team statement. “I want to thank the various impressive candidates that we interviewed throughout this process. Klint has done an excellent job in a variety of roles in ten years in the NFL and has valuable play-calling experience. He has played an important role in the growth of many players throughout his career, starting with the quarterback position. I look forward to us getting to work as we form our offensive staff and to see Klint lead that group, play a pivotal role in the development of our players on offense and maximize our strengths on offense.”

The Saints met with at least eleven different candidates before selecting Kubiak for the job — some of their first choices were hired by other teams, but their interest in Kubiak started early, and he chose New Orleans over some other opportunities. It’s clear that Allen has confidence Kubiak can modernize their offense and compete each week.

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Saints make it official, announce Klint Kubiak as their new offensive coordinator

The New Orleans Saints have made it official, announcing Klint Kubiak as their new offensive coordinator:

The New Orleans Saints have made it official, announcing Klint Kubiak as their new offensive coordinator for the 2024 season. Kubiak most recently worked as the San Francisco 49ers pass game specialist under head coach Kyle Shanahan, which he described as an eye-opening experience. Before that, Kubiak worked for the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings among other teams.

He has a tall task ahead of him: help Derek Carr carry over his late-season success from 2023 into the 2024 campaign. Carr led the league in touchdown passes through the final six weeks and was the game’s highest-rated quarterback inside the red zone. The Saints are betting that Kubiak can help him start hot and maintain that efficiency throughout the upcoming season.

For a lot of Saints fans, this is going to be the first new offense they’ve seen in their lifetimes. New Orleans ran Sean Payton’s system even after he left town a few years back but didn’t find satisfactory results. Kubiak’s coaching background and influences describe a scheme that relies more heavily on motion before and after the snap, but it’s also going to be important for the Saints to do a better job disguising their intentions from the defense. Their offense grew stale and predictable without Payton calling plays or Drew Brees dropping back to pass. Hopefully Kubiak can help get them where they want to go and end a three-year playoffs drought.

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