Hearing the Saints will likely move veteran offensive line coach Dan Roushar to the position of tight ends coach/running game coordinator and promote assistant offensive line coach Brendan Nugent to offensive line coach. Roushar coached Saints tight ends in 2015.
— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) February 20, 2021
The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan reports that the New Orleans Saints are continuing to tweak their coaching staff, with Saints offensive line coach Dan Roushar expected to move back to his position as tight ends coach while picking up the new responsibility of running game coordinator. His predecessor, Dan Campbell, left New Orleans to become the Detroit Lions head coach earlier this offseason.
This comes after former Saints right tackle Zach Strief shared the news that he was leaving his position with WWL Radio to join the team as an assistant offensive line coach. Duncan adds that the Saints are likely to promote assistant Brendan Nugent to the full-time role, meaning Strief would be working more closely with Nugent than Roushar.
That’s a lot of movement. So let’s break it down a little more clearly, point by point:
- Tight ends coach Dan Campbell leaves for Detroit
- Offensive line coach Dan Roushar moves to tight ends coach
- Assistant O.L. coach Brendan Nugent moves to O.L. coach
- Zach Strief hired as assistant O.L. coach
Roushar initially coached running backs for the Saints when he was hired back in 2013, having begun working with the New Orleans tight ends in 2015. He started coaching the offensive line in 2016 and helped build one of the NFL’s best fronts, helping scout and develop draft picks like Ryan Ramczyk and Erik McCoy along the way.
As running game coordinator, he’ll likely continue to play a part in the offensive line’s construction, though his focus may land on the development of promising second-year tight end Adam Trautman. He handled many different tasks at Michigan State before making the jump to the NFL, so none of this is new to him.
However, it’s worth noting that we’re in a very fluid situation as the Saints finish replenishing their coaching staff after the hits it took this offseason. Job titles will be tweaked as Sean Payton looks to get everyone into the best position to succeed, so stay tuned for official word from the team.
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