What a possible Kellen Moore defensive teaching employees might appear like for the Saints

It’s nearly a certainty that the New Orleans Saints are hiring Tremendous Bowl LIX Champion Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore to turn into their new Head Coach this week. With that being the prevailing sentiment amongst followers, gamers, and NFL media, the subsequent step turns into who Moore will flip to with the intention to fill out his teaching employees for the 2025 season.

Beforehand, we checked out what a possible Kellen Moore offensive teaching employees might appear like, now listed below are some potential defensive candidates Kellen Moore might flip to. These are defensive coaches Moore and/or his potential defensive coordinator have had skilled relationships with previously.

Brandon Staley – Defensive Coordinator

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Staley, a member of the Fangio teaching tree, has seven years of NFL teaching expertise, three years as a linebackers coach in Chicago & Denver underneath Fangio, one season as defensive coordinator for Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams, three seasons as the top coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, and one season as an assistant head coach with Shanahan and the Niners. Very similar to his his potential appointment of longtime teaching accomplice Doug Nussmeier as offensive coordinator, it nearly seems like a certain factor that Staley might be Moore’s right-hand man on the defensive facet of the ball. After a decade of Dennis Allen’s philosophies and imaginative and prescient on protection in New Orleans, will probably be a breath of contemporary air to have a brand new philosophy and a brand new, higher, imaginative and prescient for the Saints protection.

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Eric Henderson – Defensive Line Coach

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Henderson served because the line of defense coach on Brandon Staley’s employees with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020, when Staley was Sean McVay’s defensive coordinator. Eric Henderson is at the moment the co-defensive coordinator, defensive run recreation coordinator, and line of defense coach for the USC Trojans, a place he has held for the reason that starting of final season. Henderson can be a New Orleans native, having attended Edna Karr in his highschool days. A name to come back dwelling whereas reuniting along with his former defensive coordinator could also be sufficient to poach Henderson away from Southern California, a area he has referred to as dwelling for the previous eight years, and convey him again to New Orleans. Henderson received Tremendous Bowl LVI with Aaron Donald in Los Angeles, and that have could possibly be vital to a Saints workforce that has been devoid of that sort of teaching on the line of defense for fairly a while.

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Jay Rodgers – Linebackers Coach

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Rodgers served on Brandon Staley’s employees with the Los Angeles Chargers because the linebackers coach & defensive run recreation coordinator in 2021 and the line of defense coach and defensive run recreation coordinator from 2022-2023. Through the 2024 season, Jay Rodgers served because the line of defense coach of the hated Atlanta Falcons till final month. With 16 years of NFL teaching expertise as each a line of defense coach and linebackers coach, Rodgers’ versatility could possibly be an asset. The partnership between Staley and Rodgers started with the Chicago Bears, the place the 2 coached underneath then defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, with Staley teaching linebackers and Rodgers teaching line of defense from 2017-2018. The 2 coaches clearly have historical past with a pair of organizations and are tied to the the defensive coordinator of the reigning Tremendous Bowl Champs and each could very properly be employed by the offensive coordinator of those self same reigning Tremendous Bowl Champs. There’s a synergy there. We’ll doubtlessly see if it really works.

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Derrick Ansley – Secondary Coach

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Ansley served on Brandon Staley’s employees with the Los Angeles Chargers because the defensive backs coach from 2021-2022 and the defensive coordinator in 2023. Derrick Ansley is at the moment the defensive passing recreation coordinator for the Inexperienced Bay Packers, a place he has held for the reason that starting of the 2024 season. Ansley was Kellen Moore’s counterpart in Los Angeles throughout the 2023 season, with Moore as OC and Ansley as DC, each underneath head coach Staley; time is a flat circle. With a decade of expertise teaching defensive backs within the SEC and one other half-decade teaching defensive backs within the NFL, this fast-rising coach might definitely assist implement Brandon Staley and Kellen Moore’s defensive imaginative and prescient in New Orleans.

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John Timu – Defensive Assistant

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Timu served on Brandon Staley’s employees with the Los Angeles Chargers as a defensive assistant from 2021-2023. John Timu additionally performed linebacker for Staley in 2017 when Staley was the linebackers coach for the Chicago Bears underneath Vic Fangio. Timu is at the moment a defensive assistant for the Atlanta Falcons, particularly working with the line of defense and linebackers. He arrived in Atlanta to start the 2024 season alongside departed line of defense coach Jay Rodgers. It’s at the moment unclear whether or not Timu will in the end be retained by new Atlanta defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, however regardless, it could possibly be a wise transfer to reunite the younger defensive assistant with Brandon Staley, Jay Rodgers, and Kellen Moore.

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Phil Galiano – Particular Groups Coordinator

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Galiano is at the moment the assistant particular groups coach with the New Orleans Saints, a place he has held since 2019. Phil Galiano has been the assistant to latest particular groups coach and former interim head coach Darren Rizzi for the reason that duo changed Mike Westhoff following the 2018 season. With Rizzi because the presumptive new particular groups coordinator becoming a member of Sean Payton’s employees with the Denver Broncos, that leaves Galiano with a pair of choices, doubtlessly be part of Rizzi in Denver because the assistant particular groups coach once more, or take the subsequent step and be the top of the desk because the Saints particular groups coach. Galiano has no prior expertise with Kellen Moore, however his data of the Saints services, gamers, and the prior teaching employees’s shortcomings could possibly be extra helpful than we could have thought of. Whereas Rizzi in all probability received’t keep on with the brand new regime, his second-in-command could also be prepared to come back into his personal, after almost a decade as an assistant within the NFL. Retaining Galiano could also be one of many shrewder strikes Moore may make along with his employees.

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***UPDATE*** Since publishing of the offensive employees article, potential large receivers coach candidate Chris Beatty was employed by the Las Vegas Raiders. That being the case, right here is one other candidate Kellen Moore may take into account in that function:

Adam Henry – Broad Receivers Coach

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Henry served because the large receivers coach for Kellen Moore’s employees with the Dallas Cowboys from 2020-2021. Presently the large receivers coach for the Buffalo Payments since 2023, Henry coached up a receiving corps that misplaced some expertise final offseason, but helped get them to the NFL’s remaining 4 in January. Adam Henry additionally has some organizational ties with the New Orleans Saints, having signed as a large receiver with the workforce in 1994 and enjoying on the apply squad from 1994-1996 earlier than beginning his profession as a large receiver coach along with his alma mater at McNeese State in 1997. Henry’s 14-years of NFL expertise and his familiarity with Kellen Moore’s offense could be a profit for the Saints, ought to Moore have the ability to poach him from Buffalo.

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In fact, that is all speculative. None of those coaches could find yourself on Kellen Moore’s employees in New Orleans, however for the explanations given, it could make sense for Moore to think about all of them the identical. Hopefully, now that Tremendous Bowl LIX in New Orleans has concluded, we are going to see Kellen Moore shortly return to city and fill out his teaching employees because the Saints new head coach.