Saints’ new head coach Kellen Moore, coming off a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles as offensive coordinator, is bringing a familiar face with him to New Orleans, hiring Brandon Staley to serve as his defensive coordinator, according to CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones.
Staley, who was in an assistant coach role with Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers last season, has a connection with Moore. During the 2023 campaign, Staley was the head coach for the Los Angeles Chargers and Moore was his offensive coordinator, so now the responsibilities will be reversed with Moore serving as the head coach and Staley holding the coordinator job.
This will be Staley’s second go around as an NFL defensive coordinator and if it goes anything like the first one, then the Saints will be over the moon. Staley was the defensive coordinator in 2020 for a Los Angeles Rams team that allowed the fewest yards per game, the fewest passing yards per game and the fewest points per game in the NFL. The Rams defense got home to the quarterback an unbelievable 53 times that season, which was the second-most in the NFL.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Rams’ defensive success in 2020 featuring Aaron Darnold, landed Staley at the top of the list for head coaching opportunities in 2021 and he ended up taking a job with the Chargers, replacing Anthony Lynn. Staley lasted three seasons in Los Angeles before being getting the boot following a 63-21 blowout loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in December 2023. Staley had a .500 record, 24-24, in three seasons with the Chargers, including one playoff appearance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, where they blew a 27-point lead.
In 2024, Staley was a candidate to land the 49ers’ open defensive coordinator job, but he did not end up getting hired. Instead, Shanahan hired the 42-year-old as an assistant head coach.
In New Orleans, Staley will be looking to revamp a defense that struggled mightily 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 at this time, so it will not be a walk in the park 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.
