Reports: Saints to hire Joe Woods as DC

The New Orleans Saints are hiring Joe Woods as their defensive coordinator, NFL Network and ESPN reported Monday.

The move would reunite Woods with Saints head coach Dennis Allen. Woods was the defensive backs coach under Allen in 2014, when Allen was head coach of the then-Oakland Raiders.

Woods also would coach the defensive backs in New Orleans, per the reports. Allen will remain the defensive play caller.

The Saints lost co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen to the Atlanta Falcons and then parted ways with co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach Kris Richard last week. Nielsen is the Falcons' new defensive coordinator.

Also, Saints assistant coach Cory Robinson is a free agent after his contract expired, NFL Network reported. He ran the defensive secondary room in 2022.

ESPN also reported that the Saints are expected to hire Todd Grantham as a defensive assistant. Grantham was a defensive analyst at Alabama in 2022. Grantham last coached in the NFL with Dallas in 2009 as defensive line coach. He's been in the college ranks since.

The Browns fired Woods in early January after three seasons as defensive coordinator and replaced him with Jim Schwartz.