Names To Watch For New Orleans Saints Offensive Coaching Staff

With Klint Kubiak in place to take over the Saints offense, here are some familiar faces that could join him.

Author:
Bob Rose
Publish date:
Feb 5, 2024 7:17 AM EST

In this story:

Newly hired New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak won't assume his new role for at least another week. Kubiak will help coach the offense of the San Francisco 49ers as they take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII before he can officially start with New Orleans.

The Saints have already began to pave the way for Kubiak to form the next offensive staff under head coach Dennis Allen. On Saturday, reports emerged that the team was parting ways with offensive line coach Doug Marrone. In addition to firing former offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael in January, the Saints also terminated WR coach Kodi Burns and senior offensive assistant Bob Bicknell. Joel Thomas, who had been the RB coach since 2015, had also departed to take the same position with the New York Giants.

There remains a few holdovers on the New Orleans offensive staff, at least for now. Quarterback coach Ronald Curry, assistant offensive line coaches Jahri Evans and Kevin Carberry, and TE coach Clancy Barone are the significant names that remain, along with assistants Kevin Petry, D.J. Williams, and Jordan Traylor.

Some, or perhaps none, will be retained by Kubiak and Allen as the Saints are hoping to rebuild an offense that only showed glimpses of talent over the last month of last season. Oftentimes, coaches like to surround themselves with people that they've had prior working relationships with. We saw Allen do that last offseason, when he brought Barone, defensive coordinator Joe Woods, and secondary coach Marcus Robertson on to the staff.

If Kubiak has significant input on putting together the offensive staff, as he should, then here are some names to watch.

Brian Griese

Griese, 48, is in his second season as the QB coach of the 49ers under Kyle Shanahan and Klint Kubiak. Son of Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame QB Bob Griese, Brian was an NFL quarterback for 11 seasons. The first five of which with the Denver Broncos as a third-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft out of Michigan.

Griese was the starting quarterback for the National Champion Michigan Wolverines in 1997-98. He succeeded John Elway as the Broncos starter in 1999 and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2000. Head coach of the Broncos during that time was Mike Shanahan, Kyle's father, while the offensive coordinator was Gary Kubiak, Klint's father.

Upon his retirement from the NFL, Griese was an analyst for ESPN. From 2020 to 2022, he was part of ESPN's Monday Night Football announcing crew. Despite his inexperience as a coach, Griese is already a respected offensive mind throughout the NFL. He's the most logical replacement for Kubiak in San Francisco, but if passed over would be an excellent addition to the New Orleans staff as a QB coach.

Klay Kubiak

Younger brother of Klint, Klay has spent the last two seasons as assistant quarterback coach for the 49ers after spending a year as a defensive quality control coach. He was a collegiate quarterback at Colorado State from 2007 to 2010.

The trio of Kyle Shanahan and the Kubiak brothers have helped spark the tremendous development of QB Brock Purdy. San Francisco's offense held top-5 rankings in total yards, points scored, both passing and rushing production, third down percentage, and red zone efficiency in 2023.

It's logical that either Klay or Griese gets promoted to Klint's spot in San Francisco. The one that doesn't has a good chance at being pulled onto the New Orleans staff.

James Cregg

Another assistant finishing his second year with the 49ers, Cregg and Chris Foerster oversee perhaps the NFL's best offensive line. San Francisco ranked third in rushing yards and average per carry, first in rushing touchdowns, and allowed Purdy to be sacked only 28 times.

A longtime offensive line coach at the collegiate and NFL level, one of Cregg's jobs was as an assistant at LSU from 2018 to 2020. He was also an assistant offensive line coach for the Denver Broncos from 2014 to 2016. Also on that staff was Klint Kubiak and Joe Woods, the current New Orleans defensive coordinator.

Cregg, 50, could provide a coaching upgrade to the offensive line after firing Doug Marrone. It's a unit that needs both an infusion of talent and coaching.

Rick Dennison

Not all the familiar names are necessarily from the San Francisco staff. Dennison was a linebacker with the Denver Broncos for nine seasons between 1982 and 1990. Klint and Klay Kubiak's father Gary was a backup quarterback on those teams from 1983 to 1991.

Since retirement, Dennison and Kubiak have often been linked at the hip. Both were offensive assistants under Mike Shanahan with the Broncos from 1995 to 2005. When Gary departed in 2006 to become head coach of the Texans, Dennison was promoted to offensive coordinator. The two were reunited in 2010, when Dennison became Kubiak's offensive coordinator in Houston until 2013.

Kubiak and Dennison were joined again in 2015 and 2016 with the Broncos. As head coach and offensive coordinator, the two helped propel Denver to a Super Bowl 50 championship with Klint Kubiak and Joe Woods also on staff.

In 2019, Klint Kubiak, Gary Kubiak, and Dennison again joined forces with the Minnesota Vikings for two years. Upon Gary's most recent retirement in 2021, Klint was promoted to offensive coordinator while Dennison served as a senior offensive assistant.

Dennison, 65, has been out of football since the end of the 2021 campaign. With experience as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, he would be a strong addition to the staff in various capacities.

Anthony Lynn

Current RB coach and assistant head coach for the 49ers, Lynn has helped oversee one of the league's top rushing attacks for two years. He has 24 years of NFL coaching experience that also include four years as head coach of the Chargers.

Lynn, 55, was also a special teams assistant for the Broncos between 2000 and 2002 with Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison on staff. Additionally, he was a RB coach with the Dallas Cowboys in 2005, serving under an assistant head coach and passing game coordinator named Sean Payton.

The Saints have a vacancy at RB coach. It would take some creative titling of job responsibilities to get him away from San Francisco, but Lynn would fill that opening with strong skills and valuable experience.

Leonard Hankerson

Hankerson is completing his third year on the 49ers staff. The first as quality control coach, with the last two as the team's WR coach. San Francisco has provided Purdy with an outstanding trio of pass catchers in WRs Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and TE George Kittle.

A former NFL wideout himself, Hankerson was a third-round choice in the 2011 draft out of Miami. He'd go on to have 107 receptions and 1,408 yards over a five-year career, most of which with the Washington Redskins. While with Washington from 2011 to 2014, Hankerson's coaches included Mike and Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay.

New Orleans has an opening at WR coach after moving on from Kodi Burns. While inexperienced as a coach, Hankerson has also done a nice job with the wideout depth for the 49ers.

Brian Fleury

Fleury has worked both sides of the ball, serving as an offensive and defensive quality control coach or position assistant with four different NFL teams. He's been with the 49ers since 2019, coaching their tight ends since 2022.

San Francisco TE George Kittle is one of the league's top players at his position. While he was in place before Hankerson took over the tight ends, the 49ers backups at the position have proven to be fine blockers and serviceable pass catchers.

Clancy Barone coached New Orleans tight ends this past season. Fleury, 44, might be a surprise candidate to replace Barone if he is not retained.

Joe Graves

Graves is a native of Covington, LA and graduate of Southeast Louisiana University. He's been with the 49ers for two seasons. Prior to that he was a RB coach at Southeast Louisiana (2016-2017) and the University of Louisiana-Monroe (2018-2020).

San Francisco allowed only 28 sacks of Purdy in his 16 starts, led the NFL in rushing touchdowns, and finished third in rushing yardage. While not a high-profile candidate, pulling Graves from a top-tier 49ers line coach be an underrated addition to the staff.

Kevin Carberry or Jahri Evans could very well be promoted to the team's offensive line coach. It seems more likely that an outsider like Cregg, Graves, or even Dennison are brought in for a clean slate with Klint Kubiak.

Gary Kubiak

With Klint Kubiak set to join the New Orleans staff and Klay Kubiak a potential candidate to join him, why not a family affair? Gary also mentored Brian Griese as a player and worked closely with Dennison, Lynn, and Cregg as outlined above.

Kubiak's first coaching job was as a RB coach for Texas A&M in 1991 and 1992. Dennis Allen was a freshman defensive back for that Aggies squad in 1992.

Gary Kubiak, at age 62, has had an accomplished career as a backup quarterback, assistant coach, offensive coordinator, and head coach. While this would be son Klint's offense, father Gary would be an outstanding asset as a senior offensive assistant, even in a short stint.