Veteran coach Todd Grantham is returning to the NFL as a defensive assistant with the Saints, Chris Low of ESPN reports.
Grantham, 56, has 11 years of NFL experience but last coached in the pros in 2008-09 with the Cowboys, where he was defensive line coach.
He interviewed for Alabama’s defensive coordinator job and remained one of the top candidates before opting for the NFL job. Grantham was an analyst for the Crimson Tide in 2022.
Grantham has coached with the Colts (1999-2001), Texans (2002-04) and Browns (2005-07). He was defensive line coach in Indianapolis and Houston and defensive coordinator in Cleveland.
Grantham also was a coordinator at three different SEC schools.
It is unclear what his role on the Saints will be. The Saints lost co-defensive coordinators Kris Richard and Ryan Nielsen, with the team parting ways with Richard and Nielsen taking the coordinator job with the Falcons.