Dan Campbell enters his fifth season as the New Orleans Saints' assistant head coach/tight ends, bringing 21 years of NFL experience, 11 as a player with four teams and ten as a coach. He joined the Saints in 2016 after spending six seasons on the Miami Dolphins coaching staff, including serving as the club's interim head coach for the final 12 contests in 2015.
In 2019, unrestricted free agent acquisition Jared Cook posted 43 receptions for 705 (career-high 16.4 avg.) yards and a career-high nine touchdowns, with his receiving average ranked first in the NFL at the positon and his scoring grabs ranked second, as he earned a Pro Bowl nod. Josh Hill had a career-high 25 receptions for a career-best 226 yards and three toucdhowns.
In 2018, Campbell coached Benjamin Watson, who contributed by catching 35 passes for 400 yards and two touchdowns, third on the club in receiving. Hill caught 16 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown under Campbell's tutelage. The duo also contributed blocking for the NFL's sixth-ranked rushing offense. Garrett Griffin was elevated to the active roster from the practice squad in the postseason and caught a touchdown in the NFC Championship.
In 2017, three different players made starts at tight end with Hill (10), Michael Hoomanawanui (10) and Coby Fleener (1), where in addition to their pass-catching abilities, blocked for a rushing offense that finished fifth in the NFL. Hill posted 16 receptions in the regular season then added six catches for 103 yards and one touchdown in the playoffs. Fleener registered 22 receptions for 295 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games.
In 2016, Campbell juggled several injuries at the position with Hoomanawanui missing the entire season and Hill missing seven contests. Despite the setbacks, the New Orleans tight ends group still played a key role in an offense that ranked first in the NFL with 426.0 total net yards per game and second in scoring with 29.3 points per game. Fleener, in his first season with New Orleans, appeared in 16 games with eight starts, catching 50 passes for 631 yards (12.6 avg.) with three touchdowns, while adding one rush for two yards and one TD.
In 2015, Campbell took over a 1-3 Dolphins club that had lost three consecutive contests and immediately helped the team win their first two games under his supervision and finished 5-7, including a 20-10 win over the New England Patriots in the season finale. After Campbell took the head coaching reigns, Miami improved eight spots in the NFL rushing yards per game rankings with RB Lamar Miller gaining 741 of his 872 yards on the ground and all eight rushing touchdowns, finishing the season with 1,269 total yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns. Five Dolphins were selected to the Pro Bowl. QB Ryan Tannehill became the first Dolphins signal-caller to pass for at least 4,000 yards in consecutive seasons since Dan Marino (1984-86).
Prior to taking over Miami's interim duties, Campbell had tutored the Dolphins tight ends since 2011, initially joining the team in 2010 as a coaching intern following the conclusion of his 11-year NFL playing career. In 2014, Campbell's tight end unit was led by Charles Clay who posted 58 receptions for 605 yards and three touchdowns, while blocking for Miller's first 1,000 yard season, as he and Tannehill combined to become the first duo in franchise history to produce a 1,000-yard rusher and 4,000-yard passer in a season. Fellow tight end Dion Sims recorded career highs in receptions (24), receiving yards (284) and touchdowns (two). In 2013, under Campbell's watch, Clay finished with 69 receptions for 759 yards with six touchdowns. In 2012, Campbell's unit was paced by Anthony Fasano, who posted a team-leading five touchdown receptions.
Campbell joined the Dolphins after 11 years of playing experience with the New York Giants (1999-2002), Dallas Cowboys (2003-05), Detroit Lions (2006-08) and Saints (2009). A third round selection of the Giants in the 1999 NFL draft, the former tight end appeared in a total of 114 games with 75 starts and caught 91 passes for 934 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The Clifton, Texas native attended Texas A&M where he was a four-year letterwinner and agricultural development major.
PLAYING CAREER: Texas A&M, 1995-98; New York Giants, 1999-2002; Dallas Cowboys, 2003-05; Detroit Lions, 2006-08; New Orleans Saints, 2009.
COACHING CAREER: Miami Dolphins, 2010-15 (Head Coach last 12 games of 2015); New Orleans Saints, 2016-.
