A Closer Look At New Saints Defensive Assistant Robert Blanton

Blanton was a collegiate safety at Notre Dame from 2008 through 2011. Over his career with the Fighting Irish he had 8 interceptions and 2.5 sacks to go along with 20 tackles for loss. 

The Minnesota Vikings selected Blanton with a fifth-round choice in the 2012 NFL Draft. He'd play four years in Minnesota, appearing in 60 of a possible 64 contests and making 17 starts.

Over his time with the Vikings, Blanton had an interception and recorded over 250 total tackles. His best year was 2014, when he had his only interception along with a team-high 106 total tackles and 72 solo stops in 13 starts.

In 2016, Blanton was signed as a free agent by the Buffalo Bills. He made two starts and played in ten contests. After ending that year on injured reserve, Blanton signed with the Dallas Cowboys in free agency that offseason, where he would briefly be a teammate of new Saints head coach Kellen Moore. 

Dallas released Blanton late in the 2017 preseason. He'd rejoin the Bills early in the year but was released after two games, bringing an end to his playing career. 

After a few year stint as a high school defensive backs coach in Minnesota, Blanton got a job as the safety coach and defensive pass game coordinator at the University of Miami (OH). He has been there for the last four seasons until he got hired onto the New Orleans staff.

Blanton was part of overseeing a Red Hawk defense that was third in their conference (MAC) in total defense, points allowed, and passing yardage. Miami (OH) forced 23 turnovers and led the MAC in red zone efficiency on defense this past season. 

Under Blanton's direction, his secondary produced four All-MAC defensive backs in four consecutive seasons. John Saunders Jr., Raion Strader, Yahsyn McKee, and Eli Blakey all earned some sort of all-onference recognition under Blanton's guidance. 

Robert Blanton will turn only 36 shortly into the 2025-26 season. He is part of a youth movement on the Saints staff, especially on the defensive side. 

Blanton is lacking in NFL experience. If his collegiate results carry over onto the next level, then New Orleans has a rising young coach in their midst to help rebuild a pass defense that ranked a lowly 27th in the league last season.