By Ross Jackson
Now that New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore is getting settled into his new digs in the Big Easy, his next step will be to build out his coaching staff. Several names have been floated as those that could join him on staff, but Eagles beat writer for the Athletic, Brooks Kubena, suggests that he may only get a pair of coaches from his former Philadelphia Eagles staff.
In his appearance on 104.5 ESPN Radio Baton Rouge’s After Further Review, Kubena told host Matt Moscona not to expect a mass exodus from Philadelphia to follow Moore to New Orleans.
“I think he’ll only get two,” Kubena said. “I think he’ll get Doug Nussmeier to come with him and then also Kyle Valero. Those are the two that he brought with him from the (Los Angeles) Chargers.”
Nussmeier has been a popular name from the very beginning of what turned into a long process of courting Moore through a Super Bowl-winning season. Nussmeier started his playing career with the Saints as a 1994 fourth-round draft pick. The former NFL quarterback first worked with Moore on the Dallas Cowboys staff, moving from tight ends coach to quarterbacks coach. He then made a series of lateral moves, following Moore to the Chargers and eventually last year to the Eagles.
Nussmeier is a name to watch for offensive coordinator.
Valero and Moore overlapped in Dallas, until Moore’s 2022 departure for Los Angeles. Valero served as the Cowboys’ quality control/analytics coach. He then teamed back up with Moore when he arrived in Philadelphia. Valero spent 2023 working as the Eagles’ offensive assistant.
During Valero’s time in Dallas, he worked closely with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who totaled then-career highs across the board in 2022 with 107 catches for 1,359 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches. Lamb would go on to surpass each of those totals in 2023, but Valero’s work beforehand brought him a lot of success.
Beyond that, Kubena believes, don’t expect much else. Certainly do not expect Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni to do Moore any favors.
When asked about the potential of Moore poaching staff members for lateral moves (taking the same position in New Orleans that was held in Philadelphia), Sirianni quickly shut the door. Kubena discussed this with Moscona, as well.
“He is very encouraging for all of his coaches to go and get coaching jobs,” he said. “But once they do, ‘You’re not taking any of my guys.’ He locked down his staff, that’s something that he carried over from working with Frank Reich.”
Thankfully for the Saints, Moore has an extensive amount of coaching experience. Meaning that even if he can’t poach options from Philadelphia, he won’t hurt for options. Between his time in Dallas and Los Angeles and even beyond that, Moore will still have plenty of people he knows and trusts with which to build out his staff.
