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The Los Angeles Chargers have chosen their next head coach – and they didn’t even have to leave their stadium to find him.
Chargers hire Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley as head coach, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported. The team later announced that the two sides had agreed to the terms of a deal.
“It’s not just because Brandon has a great footballing spirit that makes him the perfect head coach to lead our team forward,” general manager Tom Telesco said in a statement. “It’s because he excels in the ability to adapt, apply and effectively communicate his concepts to players. It’s clear that Brandon will not be overwhelmed, he is the football equivalent of a gym rat. and that has earned him universal respect from the players he has coached throughout his career. “
Staley, 38, takes over as head of the Chargers’ staff after just one season with the Rams, a campaign in which he coordinated the league’s No.1 defense (in terms of score, total defense and defense against passes) in the 2020 Regular Season.
“It’s hard to say how excited I am to have the opportunity to be the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers,” said Staley. “While this is certainly a dream come true, it is also a dream that is just beginning. There’s a reason this was probably the most sought after job out there – from the property, to the fans, to the city, to the men in that locker room – it’s the complete package. I can’t thank the Spanos family and Tom Telesco enough for trusting us, and by the time everyone reads this quote in a press release, we’ll already be working hard to develop a program Chargers fans around the world can be. proud. “
Under Staley’s leadership, several Rams defensemen have had career seasons in the sacks – Leonard Floyd (10.5), Morgan Fox (6.0) and Troy Reeder (3.0) – while the lineman defensive Michael Brockers recorded his second biggest sack of his career. Floyd’s leap in production was particularly impressive after leaving Chicago – where he had been seen as a first-round bust, or at the very least, a very underwhelming player added via a high draft pick – for Los Angeles, where the change of scenery, pattern and coach has done him wonders.
It was Los Angeles’ best defensive season since 1975, when the Rams allowed just 9.6 points per game and 237.3 total yards per game, and it opened the eyes of the rest of the league to the capacity and candidacy of the young assistant.
His defensive group stifled the Seattle Seahawks in their wild encounter, leading to the Rams’ thwarted victory over the Seahawks, before falling to the Packers on Saturday in the divisional round. It only took 24 hours for the Chargers after the Rams’ loss to determine that Staley was their guy for the future.
Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Staley spent three combined seasons as a linebacker coach with the Denver Broncos (2019) and Chicago Bears (2017-18). He comes from a background in which he spent time working with prominent defensive head coaches (John Fox and Vic Fangio), but also gained equal experience under forward-thinking attacking minds (Matt Nagy and Sean McVay), which makes for a well-balanced base. whom the Chargeurs deemed ready for the post of chief.
He will take over a Chargers side looking to live up to expectations after experiencing a string of injury issues over several seasons, tight losses and a lack of attention to detail that has left them on the losing side of the table. edge most often. .
Armed with incredibly promising quarterback Justin Herbert and a defense ready to make an impact when he’s in top health (Derwin James’ return will be a big boost), Staley is entering an ideal situation for his first job. head coach.
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