Meet the New Orleans Saints coaches: Darren Rizzi

Darren Rizzi was named special teams coordinator for the New Orleans Saints on February 11, 2019 and adds the important role of assistant head coach in 2022 under Head Coach Dennis Allen. Rizzi brings 29 years of coaching experience, including a ten-season stint with the Miami Dolphins from 2009-18.

Units that Rizzi has coordinated the past 11 seasons are ranked first in the NFL over that period with 13 blocked punts. Since entering the NFL in 2009, six special teams players have been named to seven Pro Bowls. He has coached six players to the NFL All-Rookie team in the past nine years. Rizzi’s units have served in the top half of NFL writer Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings in all 11 years that he has served as a coordinator, including first in 2019 and fifth in both 2020 and 2021.

In 2021, Saints special teams ace J.T. Gray received his first career selection as a starter in the league’s All-Star Game after leading the NFL with 19 special teams tackles and was also an AP first-team All-Pro. LB Andrew Dowell, in his first full NFL season, tied for fifth in the league with 14 coverage stops and blocked a punt. Rizzi prepared Blake Gillikin for his first season handling punting duties. 29 of Gillikin’s punts were downed inside the 20-yard line, ranked fourth in the NFL and tying a team record. The Saints special teams unit ranked fourth in the NFL in opponent average starting position after kickoffs (24.1-yard line) and eighth in punt return average (10.0).