This won’t be the first time that cornerback Chris Harris Jr. has been on the same team as Chargers new head coach Brandon Staley.
Harris spent nine seasons with the Broncos, which included one with Staley (2019), who was then Denver’s outside linebackers coach.
Harris knew the potential was there with Staley to rise up the coaching rankings. After his lone stint with the Broncos, Harris saw him become the Rams’ defensive coordinator the year after.
“I knew that he could be a D-coordinator,” Harris said. “I knew that he should be a D-coordinator. But just to see how fast he’s skyrocketed, I mean, that’s pretty amazing.”
Harris praised Staley’s knowledge of the game and how well he does with building buy-in with his players, calling him a “great fit.”
“I’m so happy, so excited for him,” Harris said. “He’s a guy who’s very smart, knows the game of football. He took it to another level this year with the Rams. I’m excited to see what he can do with us.”
Harris and Staley have already started discussing the details of their new defense. For the past few years, the Chargers have ran a 4-3, but Staley is known for running a 3-4 scheme.
Staley not only guided the Rams to being the NFL’s No. 1 defense, he was able to get the most out of players that weren’t household names.
“They have a lot of talent over there,” Harris said. “You know what you’re going to get out of [Jalen] Ramsey and [Aaron] Donald. But you have a lot of no-name players, guys that you’ve never even heard of, who made a lot of plays on that team too.”
Staley is slated to talk to the media on Thursday, marking the first time he’s done so since accepting the head coaching job.