Duce Staley spent the majority of his playing career in Philadelphia. He then coached for the Eagles for the last 10 seasons.
Now, Staley is Detroit’s assistant head coach/running backs coach. He was a candidate to become the Eagles next head coach, a job that went to former Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni. But when Dan Campell became the Lions head coach, he and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn made an effective pitch that induced Staley to ask out of his Philadelphia contract.
“Just thinking about Detroit and getting a call from coach Campbell, he was super excited on the phone. I felt the energy through the phone,” Staley said in his Wednesday press conference. “And then Aaron Glenn gave me a call and he says, ‘Hey man, we’re building something special here. We want you to be a part of it.’ And when I got those two phone calls, I’m telling you — being in Philadelphia for so long, each year I would get phone calls or opportunities to see what was out there, interest from other clubs. But when those two guys reached out to me, it felt good. It felt right.”
Staley is one of several former players on Campbell’s first Lions staff, and has an opportunity to help take running backs D’Andre Swift and Kerryon Johnson to the next level.