Canal Street Chronicles
Jones is the Vikings pass game coordinator/DBs coach and has been a hot name in DC discussions this offseason.
Kellen Moore and the New Orleans Saints are beginning to assemble their new staff, and while former Chargers head coach, Brandon Staley, was a hot name for their defensive coordinator job early on, the Saints are still doing their due diligence and are bringing in Minnesota Vikings passing game Coordinator and DBs coach, Daronte Jones.
Jones has been a hot name when it comes to defensive coordinator interview this cycle. He previously met with the Bears, who went on to hire Dennis Allen as their DC, and Jaguars, who ended up hiring Anthony Campanile.
Jones has an extensive NFL coaching history which dates back to 2016 when he was a part of the Miami Dolphins as their assistant DBs coach. He then moved on to the Cincinnati Bengals as their DBs coach in 2018-2019 before he coached one year at LSU. He then moved back to the NFL and has spent the last four seasons as the Vikings DBs coach (he added passing game coordinator duties in 2022).
Jones is viewed as one of, if not the top defensive assistant on the Vikings staff. He’s worked intricately with Brian Flores the past two seasons and has really made a name for himself. If he doesn’t land a DC job this year, he’ll likely be a hot name next year.
Interestingly, Jones has no prior connection to new Saints head coach, Kellen Moore, that I could find. The two haven’t crossed paths at any points in their professional coaching careers, which is a bit odd considering a lot of the top candidates for other spots on his coaching staff have a history with Moore or the Saints.
I still think Brandon Staley is the favorite for the DC job, but Jones would be an interesting hire. It’s not every day you find a coach who’s worked on both sides of the ball, so he’s certainly worth the interview.
