New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton. David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton announced the team’s 2015 coaching staff additions on Wednesday.
The staff includes three former NFL players, two former Saints staff members and a former NFL head coach.
Topping the list is former Oakland Raiders head coach Dennis Allen, who will work with defensive coordinator Rob Ryan as a senior defensive assistant.
Payton also hired John Morton as wide receivers coach, Joel Thomas as running backs coach, James Willis as defensive assistant/linebackers, Kyle DeVan and Greg Lewis as offensive assistants and Brendan Nugent as a coaching assistant.
Allen, who served as head coach of the Raiders from 2012-14, returns to New Orleans for his second stint as a member of the coaching staff. He previously spent five seasons as the Saints’ assistant defensive line coach (2006-07) and secondary coach (2008-10).
Morton, who returns to New Orleans after serving on Payton’s inaugural 2006 staff as offensive assistant/passing game coach, was most recently with the 49ers as wide receivers coach.
Thomas spent the last two years coaching running backs at Arkansas.
Willis, who comes to the Saints from Louisiana-Lafayette where he was defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach, had a seven-year NFL playing career with the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks.
DeVan, who played five years in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts, Eagles and Tennessee Titans, was a graduate assistant on offense at Southern Cal last year.
Lewis, who played eight seasons in the NFL with the Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, was the wide receivers coach at the University of Pittsburgh last year.
Nugent spent the last two seasons as an offensive quality control coach for the Chicago Bears.
