Defensive Assistants That Could Join Brandon Staley With Saints

projected title: Defensive Backs 

A defensive back at Troy University, Ansley had 19 interceptions over his collegiate career and was a 1st Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection in 2004. He got his coaching start at Huntington College as a defensive backs coach from 2005-2009 before moving on to Alabama from 2010 to 2011 as a graduate assistant. 

After Alabama, Ansley was a defensive backs coach at Tennessee, Kentucky, then back at Alabama between 2012 and 2017. In his stints with the Crimson Tide, he was part of two National Championship teams in 2011 and 2017.

Ansley got his first NFL job in 2018 as a defensive backs coach with the Oakland Raiders. After one year there, he returned to college as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach for the Tennessee Volunteers from 2019 through the 2020 campaign. 

Brandon Staley brought Ansley onto his Chargers staff. During the 2021 and '22 seasons he'd serve as the team's defensive back coach. In 2023, he was promoted to defensive coordinator. 

This past year, Ansley served as the defensive passing game coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. 

Giff Smith (age = 56)

projected title: Defensive Line or LB coach 

Smith began his coaching career as a graduate assistant, first with Arkansas from 1991-1993, then with Georgia the next two years. After two years as WR coach at Georgia Southern from 1996-1998, he'd become the defensive line coach for Tulane from 1999 through the 2003 season. 

Smith's five years at Tulane were followed by six years as defensive line coach at Georgia Tech. In 2010, the Buffalo Bills gave Smith his first opportunity in the NFL as their defensive line coach. He'd be in that role until 2012, then did the same thing for the Tennessee Titans from 2014 through 2015.

In 2016, the San Diego Chargers hired Smith as their defensive line coach. Smith was thought highly enough to be retained through three head coaching changes. That included Brandon Staley's arrival in 2021 and a move to outside linebacker coach in 2022.

With three games remaining in the 2023-24 season, the Chargers fired Staley and promoted Smith to interim head coach. The Chargers lost all three contests. Smith served as defensive line coach and defensive run game coordinator for the Rams this past season. 

Renaldo Hill (age = 46)

projected title: Defensive Backs/Sr. defensive assistant 

A 1st Team All-Big 10 safety at Michigan State in 2000, Hill went on to a 10-year NFL career with 19 combined interceptions for the Cardinals, Raiders, Dolphins, and Broncos. In 2012, Hill landed with Wyoming as a graduate assistant for one year then as cornerback coach the next.

The Pitt Panthers hired Hill as their defensive backs coach in 2015, where he'd remain for three seasons. Hill landed with the Miami Dolphins in 2018 as an assistant defensive backs coach for his first NFL position. 

In 2019, the Denver Broncos hired Hill to be their defensive back coach. The LB coach on that staff was Brandon Staley. Hill remained with Denver through the 2020 season.

When Staley became the Chargers head coach in 2021, he'd bring Hill in to be his defensive coordinator. He'd hold that role through the 2022 campaign. For the last two seasons, Hill had been a defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Miami Dolphins. 

Hill was just hired to be the defensive back coach for the Carolina Panthers. If the Saints were to lure him away for the same role, they would likely need to add an additional title to his responsibilities. 

Joe Barry (age = 54)

projected title: LB coach/Sr. assistant 

A collegiate linebacker at Michigan then USC, Barry has been a respected pro coach for 25 years. He began as a video coordinator and defensive grad assistant at USC right out of school before moving on to coach ends and linebackers at Northern Arizona from 1996 to 1998.

Barry was a LB coach at UNLV in 1999 before landing with the San Francisco 49ers the following year. After one year, he was hired as LB coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers between 2001 and 2006. There, he was part of a Super Bowl XXXVII title team that is considered one of the best defenses in NFL history. 

The Detroit Lions gave Barry his first defensive coordinator position in 2007, a role he held for two seasons. After Detroit, he returned to the Buccaneers as a LB coach in 2009 before going back to USC in the same position in 2010 and 2011.

The San Diego Chargers had Barry as their LB coach between 2012 and 2014 before he was given a defensive coordinator job with the Washington Redskins. He'd hold that role through the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

In 2017, Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams hired Barry as their LB coach and defensive assistant. He remained there through the 2020 season, when Brandon Staley was also brought in as defensive coordinator. 

Leaving the Rams for a defensive coordinator job with the Green Bay Packers in 2021, Barry served in that role through the 2023 season. This past year, he was the LB coach and defensive run game coordinator for the Miami Dolphins. 

Nick Sorensen (age = 46)

projected title: defensive backs

A safety and linebacker at Virginia Tech, Sorensen put together a 10-year NFL career as a reserve defensive back for the Rams, Jaguars, and Browns. He began his coaching career in 2013 as a special teams assistant for the Seattle Seahawks.

Sorensen was with Seattle through the 2020 season. He was promoted to secondary coach in 2017 and was part of the staff during two NFC titles and a Super Bowl XLVIII championship. 

In 2021, the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Sorensen as special teams coordinator. After one year there, he was brought in by the San Francisco 49ers as a defensive assistant. He'd remain with the 49ers through the end of this past season. 

San Francisco promoted Sorensen to defensive coordinator for 2024. He was fired after the defending NFC champions dropped in several defensive categories. Sorensen was recently hired to be special teams coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. It may take a coup if the Saints wish to lure him, as he has a prior working relationship with new Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer. 

Ed Donatell (age = 68)

projected title: Sr. defensive assistant 

Donatell has been one of the most respected defensive minds for over 32 NFL seasons. Eleven of those years were spent as a defensive coordinator with four different teams. Another 20 were as a secondary coach with four different squads.

In 2019, Donatell was defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos. He'd add both Brandon Staley as outside LB coach and Renaldo Hill as DB coach onto his staff.

Donatell has been out of football since the conclusion of the 2022 season. He was last defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings.