Sad news: the head coach of New Orleans saints announce the departure of ……
New Orleans Saints Head Coach Dennis Allen has announced that the club has added six assistants to his staff, hiring John Benton as offensive line coach, Rick Dennison as senior offensive assistant, Derrick Foster as running backs coach, Andrew Janocko as quarterbacks coach, DeNarius McGhee as assistant wide receivers coach and Keith Williams as wide receivers coach.
Benton has 33 years of coaching experience, including 19 in the NFL. Of the offensive lines he has directed since 2004, seven seasons those teams have finished in the top ten in the NFL in rushing yards per game. Benton’s previous league stops include the New York Jets (2021-22), San Francisco 49ers (2017-20), Jacksonville Jaguars (2016), Miami Dolphins (2014-15), Houston Texans (2006-13) and St. Louis Rams (2004-05).
Over Benton’s four seasons in San Francisco (2017-20) as the offensive line coach, the 49ers produced the fourth-most rushing yards in the league, with top ten rushing offenses in each of his last three seasons, including the league’s number one rushing attack in 2019 en route to Super Bowl LIV. In his time with the 49ers, three different running backs – Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson and Matt Breida – all averaged over 4.40 yards per carry on at least 200 attempts, one of only two teams in the league with at least three such players. In the passing game, the offensive line protected QB Jimmy Garoppolo, who finished fourth in yards per attempt (8.2), fifth in completion percentage (67.5%) and ninth in passer rating (98.6) among quarterbacks with at least 25 starts from 2018-20.
Prior to the NFL, Benton spent 17 years coaching at the collegiate level. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Colorado State University (1987-90), before moving on to California University (Pa.) (1990-94), where he served as offensive line coach/recruiting coordinator. He returned to Colorado State in 1995, spending nine years as offensive line coach (1995-99) and co-offensive coordinator (2000-03).
