Well, we thought we'd have to craft a story like this at some point. We were correct. Kellen Moore's hire as New Orleans Saints head coach began tipping over a few dominoes. The first to fall were interviews with three Philadelphia Eagles assistants.
Running backs coach Jemal Singleton interviewed for the Saints' vacant offensive coordinator job. So did Philly's current quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier. Defensive backs coach Christian Parker interviewed for the New Orleans' defensive coordinator position. A report surfaced on Tuesday that a fourth name was in the mix.
Saints are reportedly set to hire Eagles asst. offensive line coach and run game specialist T.J. Paganetti.
We haven't spent a ton of time discussing possible promotions or new opportunities for T.J. Paganetti, but we'll certainly discuss him more now that he's headed to the Big Easy. Longtime Saints insider Nick Underhill reports T.J. is joining Kellen Moore's new staff in New Orleans.
Big add for Kellen Moore’s staff. The Saints are hiring TJ Paganetti from the Eagles, according to a source. Paganetti served as a run game specialist and assistant offensive line coach for Philadelphia last season.
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) February 18, 2025
As you see, Underhill's report didn't detail what Paganetti's role was. We assumed until further notice he'd be the run game specialist there as well and add the offensive coordinator title. Kellen Moore has already named Brendan Nugent as his offensive line coach along with the following hires we've been made aware of:
- QB Coach: Scott Tolzien
- RB Coach: Joel Thomas
- WR Coach: Keith Williams
Our assumptions proved to be true. Based on what we are reading, Nussmeier will indeed serve as saints OC. Congratulations to him on this new role and his advancement.
Paganetti was given the Eagles' run game specialist/assistant offensive line coach title during the 2024 offseason. He had previously served as Philly's run game specialist/assistant tight ends coach during the 2023 campaign.
Now, it's hard to determine how much of a role he played in the team's success. After all, Philly's O-line was stacked, and he he was an assistant to best in the business, Jeff Stoutland. Having Saquon Barkley on the offensive roster doesn't hurt either.
Let's be fair though. Looking back to 2023, he helped the Birds establish a single-season team record in third-down conversion rate (48.0 pct.). Philadelphia also finished that season with the 8th-best rushing attack (128.8 ypg). They did that without Saquon Barkley.
The Birds also scored 22 rushing touchdowns, tying them for fifth overall. Also, under his watch, Dallas Goedert registered a career-high 59 receptions, collecting 592 yards and three receiving touchdowns during 14 in-game appearances in the process.
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