The New Orleans Saints made further additions to their coaching staff on Monday, as they are expected to hire veteran defensive assistant Grady Brown, along with Jay Rodgers and Robert Blanton, according to sources.
Grady Brown, who spent the last four seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive backs coach, had previously interviewed for the defensive coordinator position with the Atlanta Falcons. During his time in Pittsburgh, Brown helped the Steelers rank third in the NFL with 17 interceptions last season and tied for the league lead with 20 picks in 2022.
Earlier this month, the Steelers announced they would not be renewing his contract. Brown’s coaching experience has primarily been in college football, with his most recent position being the defensive coordinator at McNeese State in Louisiana in 2020. Prior to that, he coached defensive backs at South Carolina from 2012 to 2015 under Steve Spurrier.
Jay Rodgers most recently worked as the defensive line coach for the Atlanta Falcons. He also served as the defensive line coach and run game coordinator from 2021 to 2023 under Brandon Staley, the Saints’ new defensive coordinator, during their time together with the Los Angeles Chargers. Rodgers, like Staley and Saints head coach Kellen Moore, is a former quarterback, having played for Indiana from 1996 to 1998.
Robert Blanton comes to New Orleans from Miami (Ohio), where he was the defensive pass game coordinator and safeties coach. Blanton, who played safety at Notre Dame and with the Minnesota Vikings, adds to the Saints’ growing list of defensive assistants from the college ranks, which already includes Bo Davis from LSU, Terry Joseph from Texas, and Peter Sirmon from Cal.
The specific roles of these new assistants with the Saints are yet to be determined.
