Chargers’ LB coach Michael Wilhoite interviewed for the Saints’ defensive coordinator job, per source. Wilhoite was an assistant coach in New Orleans from 2019-2020, and the organization likes him.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 15, 2022
Well that’s interesting. The New Orleans Saints are continuing to meet with outside candidates for their two open coordinator jobs, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reporting that the team brought in Los Angeles Chargers linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite to interview for their defensive coordinator job. Detroit Lions secondary coach Aubrey Pleasant previously met with the team to discuss the job.
But Wilhoite isn’t too unfamiliar with Dennis Allen’s established system. He coached on the staff as an assistant in 2019 and 2020, before leaving for a promotion with first-year Chargers head coach Brandon Staley’s crew in 2021. Now he’s back in New Orleans seeking another step up the ladder.
He would be a fascinating hire. Wilhoite is a former player, having spent most of his career with the San Francisco 49ers (beginning in 2011) and finishing up with the Seattle Seahawks (after the 2017 season), with much of his contributions coming in the kicking game. He started out in that phase with the Saints as a special teams assistant in 2019, then moved to defensive assistant om 2020.
And he’d likely be seen as a developmental option for the Saints. It’s unclear yet whether Allen will relinquish defensive play-calling duties to a new coordinator, and if he chooses to hold onto his headset Wilhoite would get to see how it’s done firsthand in preparation for his own gig someday. Bringing in an outsider would also help keep other in-house assistants where they’ve done their best work as position coaches.
But we’ll have to wait and see how this unfolds. If the Saints are treating this coordinator search as they did the head coach process, they’ll interview all external candidates before turning attention to in-house options like defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen and secondary coach Kris Richard. It gives relative outsiders a shot at making a strong first impression.
