The Giants are in the market for a fifth running back coach in five years.
Joel Thomas is making a lateral move back to rejoin the Saints, The Post confirmed, after he spent one season with the Giants under Brian Daboll.
Thomas was the Saints running backs coach from 2015-23 — unusual longevity in one spot for an NFL position coach.
It looked like the Giants were going to make it through the offseason with minimal coaching changes — defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson and safeties coach Mike Trier were fired and replaced with Marquand Manuel (secondary coach/pass game coordinator) and Jeff Burris (cornerbacks coach) — but the Saints are late to assembling a staff because new head coach Kellen Moore couldn’t be hired until after the Eagles won the Super Bowl.
On the offensive side, the Giants also lost assistant quarterbacks coach Christian Jones to the Browns (tight ends coach) and replaced him with Chad Hall, who just so happens to be quarterback Matthew Stafford’s brother-in-law.
The last running backs coach to hold the post for more than one season was Burton Burns (2020-21), who was let go when Joe Judge’s staff was fired.
Daboll has employed DeAndrew Smith (who left to become Colts running backs coach), Jeff Nixon (who left to become Syracuse’s offensive coordinator) and Thomas.
Thomas helped the Giants identify and develop surprise rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Thomas and Tracy have shared Purdue roots.
Thomas recently served as an offensive coordinator in the Senior Bowl — an opportunity afforded to him because the Giants finished near the bottom of the NFL and like their assistants to be part of college all-star games to get an in-person feel for prospects.
