Dan Campbell to Saints: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

The New Orleans Saints announced the hiring of Dan Campbell on Tuesday as an assistant head coach and tight ends coach.

Mike Triplett of ESPN indicated current tight ends coach Dan Roushar will likely remain with the team in a different role. Campbell was the interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins this season and posted a 5-7 record at the helm.   

This is actually an interesting reunion of sorts for Campbell, whose last year in the NFL as a player was 2009 as a member of the Saints. Although he missed the entire season with an MCL injury, he still received a Super Bowl XLIV ring.

Saints head coach Sean Payton served as the Dallas Cowboys' offensive coordinator while Campbell played there from 2003 through 2005. Their ties go back a long way, making this a comfortable hire for both sides.

Campbell acquitted himself well taking over a less than ideal situation in Miami this year. Joining a staff with a stable, long-tenured leader in Payton sets the 39-year-old up well for the next phase of his coaching career.

In addition to working closely with Payton, Campbell will be tasked with developing a key position group. Veteran tight end Benjamin Watson played well this year with 825 yards receiving but is a free agent and turned 35 in December.

New Orleans may well bring aboard another supreme athlete at tight end who can go on to emulate the type of impact Jimmy Graham used to have. If Campbell can groom a player like that for the Saints, he may expedite his path toward being a head coach again, this time on a full-time basis.