Newly-hired New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore has many tasks facing him now that he's on the job. One of the first will be to quickly fill out his staff.
As the last coach hired during this offseason cycle, Moore is off to a late start. This is because he was the offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles. During Philadelphia's title run, we witnessed firsthand how important assistant coaches are.
There may be several familiar faces rejoining Moore in his new job. One could be a highly experienced name at defensive coordinator for the offensive-minded Moore.
ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports that Brandon Staley is the favorite to become the next defensive coordinator of the Saints. Staley and Moore have career ties that creates sense to this move.
Brandon Staley
After a collegiate career as a defensive coordinator and secondary coach at John Carroll and James Madison, Staley was hired as an OLB coach for the Chicago Bears in 2017. He'd spend two years in that role before taking on the same position in 2019 with the Denver Broncos.
In 2020, Staley was hired to be the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. That season, the Rams ranked first in total yardage, points allowed, and against the pass while finishing third against the run.
Such a performance caused the Los Angeles Chargers to bring in Staley as head coach. Staley spent three seasons in that role, finishing with a 24-24 record. He had a winning record in both of his first two years, including a 10-7 mark and a playoff berth in 2022.
After a 5-9 start to 2023, Staley was fired by the Chargers. He spent this past season as defensive line coach for the San Francisco and entered the offseason with a promotion to assistant head coach.
At the start of 2023, Staley brought Kellen Moore in as the Chargers offensive coordinator. The duo was off to a strong start before fading at midseason, leading to both landing new jobs after the year.
Athlon Sports senior writer John Hendrix explored this possibility last week.
