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There was some thought that with the emergence of Justin Herbert at quarterback that the Chargers next head coach would be a quarterback whisperer and offensive innovator. Instead, the Chargers have gone another way by naming Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley as their next head coach.
Staley is only 38 and was the coordinator with the Rams for just one season, coaching the linebackers in both Chicago and Denver before that. But his one season with the Rams was quite good.
The Rams in 2020 allowed a league-low 18.5 points per game and just 190 passing yards per game. In a division with Patrick Mahomes, the Chargers being able to shut down the pass is a necessity.
From Los Angeles to Los Angeles
It's not often that an NFL coach takes a new job and can stay in his old house, but that's where Staley finds himself. He even gets to stay in the same facility and try to make the Chargers the premiere tenant in SoFi Stadium.
He leaves behind all-world defensive tackle Aaron Donald and All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. But he inherits Pro Bowler Joey Bosa, young middle linebacker Kenneth Murray, a hopefully healthy Derwin James, and the online sportsbook favorites to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, Herbert.
The Chargers finished in third place in the AFC West in 2020 and fourth place in 2019, and they've struggled to get solid fan support since they made the move to Los Angeles from San Diego. But as winners of their final four games this season, a true superstar in the making in Herbert, a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver in Keenan Allen, and the parts for a really dominant defense, this was considered one of the most attractive head coaching openings.
Staley's rise to the top of the coaching job pyramid has been meteoric. Just five years ago, he was the defensive coordinator at Division III John Carroll. Now he is an NFL head coach. Still, if you were going to bet on the Super Bowl in next season’s futures, you might want to wait another year or two.
Rams Lose Another Assistant
The Sean McVay coaching tree continues to grow with Staley's move to the Chargers. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, at only 41 years old, was an offensive coordinator under McVay in 2017.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, only 37 years old, was the quarterbacks coach under McVay in 2018. Staley now makes three former McVay assistants taking a head coaching position in the NFL in the last three seasons.
Other NFL Coaching Moves
The Buccaneers defense forced four turnovers against the Saints on Sunday, and Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles vacant head coaching position on Monday. Bowles was the head coach of the Jets for four seasons.
Now that New Orleans has been eliminated from the postseason, the Detroit Lions are set to hire Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell as their new head coach. Campbell has never been a coordinator in the NFL, but he did serve as the interim head coach in Miami in 2015. The Dolphins went 5-7 under Campbell.
