This is interesting. Mike Kafka isn’t the only candidate visiting the New Orleans Saints for a second head coach interview early this week — NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver will be in the city Wednesday for a sit-down with team brass.
Weaver has a strong resume. Before joining the Dolphins for 2024, he worked closely with John Harbaugh on the Baltimore Ravens from 2021 to 2023; his titles included defensive line coach, run game coordinator, and assistant head coach. And before that he coached under Bill O’Brien on the Houston Texans for several years and worked as a position coach on Doug Marrone’s Buffalo Bills staff. He got his start in the NFL as an assistant for Rex Ryan on the New York Jets.
So he’s someone with a couple of notable ties to the Saints; his very first coaching job was working for Urban Meyer at Florida as a graduate assistant back in 2010. But Weaver has done really well when given the opportunity to call plays for himself. His Dolphins finished 10th-best in yards allowed per play (5.3, half a yard better than the Saints). They were 9th in rushing yards allowed per game (103.7, a full 37.7 yards better than the Saints). They were also one of the best defenses on third downs and in the red zone, both areas the Saints struggled at times.
If nothing else we know Weaver can call a defense. It’s impressive that Weaver previously received callbacks in interviews for head coach openings with the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders. The high praise his former bosses like Harbaugh have for him speaks volumes. We’ll have to wait and see how this second interview goes, but Weaver clearly shouldn’t be overlooked in the Saints head coach search.