Brandon

Staley

Staley was always going to be the pick once New Orleans tabbed Kellen Moore as their next head coach. Moore spent a year as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator during Staley’s tenure as the team’s head coach. The roles will be reversed in The Big Easy. Staley called the league’s top defense in his only season as the Rams’ defensive coordinator before struggling to get his side of the ball in order with the Chargers. After the team fired him in 2023, Staley joined the 49ers staff. If all goes well in New Orleans, Staley could be in the running for another head coaching job in a few years.

Staley has been connected to New Orleans for roughly as long as the Saints have been interested in Kellen Moore as their head coach. Moore spent a year under Staley as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator in 2023. With the ink dry on Moore’s contract as the Saints’ next head coach, Staley should follow suit soon. Staley helmed the league’s No. 1 defense in his lone year as the Rams defensive coordinator before moving across town to coach the Chargers. He never cracked the top 20 in points allowed during his three seasons with his second LA franchise.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported last week that Staley was considered the “leading candidate” to land the Saints defensive coordinator role. The former Chargers head coach hired Kellen Moore as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2023, and now he may have a chance to work under Moore as the first-time head coach rounds out his staff. Staley flamed out in his three seasons as the Chargers head coach but led a top defensive unit in 2020 during his lone season as the Rams’ defensive coordinator. Whoever lands this job will have their work cut out for them, as the Saints finished last season ranked 19th in points allowed and 30th in yards allowed, while also ranking outside the top 25 as a pass defense and a rush defense.

New Saints head coach Kellen Moore reportedly has strong interest in bringing in Staley as the team’s defensive coordinator. Staley flamed out as Chargers head coach after three seasons, going 24-24 and heading one of the NFL’s worst defenses. Staley spent the 2024 season as an assistant to Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan. As head of the Saints defense, Staley would take over a unit that last year ranked 19th in EPA allowed and 18th in offensive success rate allowed. The Saints pressured the passer at the 11th lowest rate in 2024.

The Moore-Saints partnership is not actually, as an NFL national reporter would say, “officially official” yet. But all signs have been pointing that way for some time. Staley took on assistant head coach duties for the 49ers last year after washing out of Los Angeles in 2023. Given how poorly San Francisco’s defense played last year, he wouldn’t exactly be an inspiring defensiv coordinator hire for Moore. But Staley had a good track record on that side of the ball prior to 2023 and a Kliff Kingsbury-esque bounceback could definitely happen.

Nick Sorensen was promoted to defensive coordinator ahead of the 2024 season but was let go after the team allowed 25.6 points per game this year. Per Shanahan, Sorensen could be retained as the team’s special teams coordinator or in another role. Staley previously served as the Rams’ defensive coordinator for a year before being hired as the Chargers’ head coach. He lasted three seasons and was fired after a disappointing 2023. Robert Saleh is expected to be offered the defensive coordinator job if he doesn’t land another head coaching gig, so Staley is likely stuck in his role for at least another year.

Staley had previously interviewed for the 49ers defensive coordinator vacancy, but that job instead went to defensive passing game coordinator Nick Sorensen. Instead, the former Chargers head coach will work closely with Kyle Shanahan as the assistant head coach, role that Anthony Lynn held for the last two seasons. While his time as a head coach was largely underwhelming, Staley brings three years of head coaching experience to the table, and can also assist on the defensive side of the ball, having spent time as both a linebackers coach and defensive coordinator from 2017 through 2020.

Before taking the job as the Chargers head coach in 2021, Staley served as the Rams’ defensive coordinator in 2020 and also has experience as a DC at the college level. Interestingly, Staley interviewed with the Rams earlier this offseason for their defensive coordinator opening after Raheem Morris left for Atlanta, but they instead promoted LBs coach Chris Shula, to the role. Staley’s defense struggled during his time with the Chargers, never ranking better than 21st in points allowed per game. In addition to Staley, the 49ers also interviewed Nick Sorenson, who is an internal candidate currently serving as their defensive pass game coordinator.

Staley was famously the Rams’ defensive coordinator before taking the Chargers coaching gig, so a reunion always seemed possible. While Staley was viewed as a tremendous coaching talent with the Rams, he spent only one year as their defensive coordinator before his defensive scheme failed with the Chargers en route to a 24-24 record before being fired mid-way through the 2023 season. It remains to be seen if he’ll immediately be given another chance at a coordinator position.

Staley was 24-24 as head coach of the Chargers before being fired in December amid a cringe-inducing total team collapse. His Chargers defenses weren’t particularly good: Over Staley’s two seasons at the helm, LA allowed the league’s ninth highest EPA per play. They were atrocious against the rush in 2022 before correcting course in 2023. Perhaps Staley’s success with the Rams defense in 2020 could propel him to a defensive coordinator position. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Staley is a candidate for the Dolphins DC opening and ESPN’s Adam Schefter said the Rams are interested in reuniting with their former coordinator after losing Raheem Morris to the Falcons.