What Doug Marrone's departure means for the Saints coaching staff

Getting the right offensive line coach is the next critical mission for the Saints now that Klint Kubiak is expected to become the next offensive coordinator.

According to a source, New Orleans parted ways with offensive line coach Doug Marrone on Saturday, which means someone else will be responsible for trying to develop former first-round pick Trevor Penning.

And make no mistake: Few coaching jobs will be more important than getting Penning on track.

The Saints will need to approach this offseason as if Penning is a total wild card, and there might even need to be efforts to replace him with high-value assets. But if New Orleans can find a way to get Penning on the field next season, or at least back on the right track, it would be a significant boost to the roster and potentially lay the groundwork to eventually move on if Ryan Ramczyk’s knee becomes more problematic.

Marrone took his best shot at getting Penning on the field after he successfully got guard Cesar Ruiz on track last season, but nothing ever really clicked for Penning, a former first-round pick. He began the season as the starting left tackle, lost the job after a rough start, and got demoted to jumbo tight end. But after a few appearances there, he also lost that job and never saw the field again. If Penning doesn’t figure it out now, he might easily become a lost cause.

The move is interesting and comes after New Orleans parted ways with wide receivers coach Kodi Burns, offensive analyst Bob Bicknell and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael earlier this offseason. The team also let running backs coach Joel Thomas join the Giants in the same role. The Saints held onto tight ends coach Clancy Barone, quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry and Marrone, but it seems Marrone wasn’t necessarily a fit for Kubiak’s offensive staff, or he has someone else in mind for that role.

Kubiak might want someone who is more familiar with his system since it relies so heavily upon the run game and blocking on the edges. New Orleans ran a lot of outside zone last year, which is what the Shanahan system that Kubiak comes from relies upon, but the Saints didn’t have a lot of success with it last season.

Other candidates could slide into this system and make it work, and Rick Dennison has to be considered one possibility. He was supposed to serve as Kubiak’s offensive line coach in 2021 in Minnesota, but Dennison refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine and had to vacate his role. He could potentially be of interest in this role.

But after this one, he and the Saints will need to fill out the rest of the staff and finish the offensive staff makeover that is now fully underway.