Saints head coach Kellen Moore is bringing a familiar face with him to New Orleans, hiring Brandon Staley to serve as his defensive coordinator, per CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones.
Staley, who served as an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers last season, has some history with Moore. During the 2023 season, Staley was the head coach for the Los Angeles Chargers and Moore was his offensive coordinator, so now the responsibilities will be flipped with Moore serving as the head coach and Staley holding the coordinator job.
This will mark Staley’s second stint as an NFL defensive coordinator and if it goes anything like the first one, then the Saints will be thrilled. Staley served as the defensive coordinator in 2020 for a Los Angeles Rams team that surrendered the fewest yards per game, the fewest passing yards per game and the fewest points per game in the NFL. The Rams defensive tallied 53 sacks that season, which was the second-most in the NFL.
The Rams’ defensive success in 2020 made Staley a hot head coaching candidate in 2021 and he ended up taking a job with the Chargers. Staley lasted three seasons in Los Angeles before being fired following a 63-21 blowout loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in December 2023. Staley went 24-24 in three seasons with the Chargers, including one playoff appearance.
In 2024, Staley was a candidate to land the 49ers’ open defensive coordinator job, but he didn’t end up getting hired. Instead, Kyle Shanahan hired the 42-year-old as an assistant head coach.
In New Orleans, Staley will be looking to revamp a defense that struggled last season. In 2024, the Saints surrendered the second-most rushing yards in the NFL and the third-most total yards per game. The Saints are also an estimated $47 million over the salary cap right now, so it won’t be easy for Staley and the defense to add any players in free agency, which means if this defense is going to improve in 2025, it will likely have to be through Staley’s coaching and the draft.
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