Tag: Brandon Staley

Options emerge as DC for Kellen Moore if he becomes Saints head coach

ESPN reports there are two candidates emerging as options for defensive coordinator on Kellen Moore’s New Orleans Saints staff — assuming he takes the job:

The New Orleans Saints have cleared house on their coaching staff, as they now have vacancies at most of the major positions. One of the ones that most recently opened up was at defensive coordinator, as Joe Woods has left for the Las Vegas Raiders to join Pete Carroll’s staff.

The likely scenario here is that the Saints have chosen to let many of their coaches seek out other positions, laterally or otherwise, to allow whoever their new head coach may be to select their own staff altogether. Given Kellen Moore is the frontrunner for the position as of now, he has received much speculation when it comes to adding further staff behind him.

Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, there are two candidates who are seen as likely fits for the defensive coordinator spot: “Two names I’ve heard as possibilities at defensive coordinator are 49ers assistant coach Brandon Staley and Buccaneers outside linebackers coach George Edwards. Both have history with Moore — Staley hired Moore as his offensive coordinator with the Chargers in 2023, and Moore overlapped with Edwards in Dallas.”

Fowler also notes Matt Eberflus and Klayton Adams as options that could have come to fruition if not already hired by the Cowboys. Staley has been one of the names thrown around for a little while now given the direct connection, however Edwards is somewhat of a new addition to the group. He has extensive experience in the league including three stints as a defensive coordinator previously, so he could very well be in the running here as well.

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Report: Kellen Moore is already recruiting for his Saints coaching staff

The Times-Picayune reports that Kellen Moore is already making calls to potential assistants who could fill out his Saints coaching staff:

All signs point to Kellen Moore becoming the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints — most critically, the fact general manager Mickey Loomis told other candidates in the race he’s waiting until after Super Bowl LIX to make a decision on who he’ll hire. That’s the soonest Moore could meet with the Saints again and agree to take the job, per NFL rules. So it’s increasingly looking more like a question of when, not if, he’ll be introduced to the Black and Gold.

And it may not take long for Moore to hire assistants. The Times-Picayune’s Matthew Paras reports that Moore “has been in contact with potential members of his staff.”

Now who could that be? There are some obvious names out there like Doug Nussmeier, the Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach who previously worked with Moore on the Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys. There’s also Brandon Staley who hired them both to the Chargers and spent the year since as the San Francisco 49ers’ assistant coach. We highlighted both of them as well as several other potential hires Moore could bring with him.

This could all blow up, but that doesn’t feel likely. We’ll guessing we’ll have to wait and see whether Moore wins a Super Bowl for the Eagles on his way out.

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Is Brandon Staley really a strong candidate for 49ers DC opening?

Are the 49ers considering Brandon Staley as their DC like … for real?

For the second consecutive year the San Francisco 49ers search for a new defensive coordinator will include an interview with former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley.

Staley interviewed for the 49ers DC opening in 2024 after the team fired its previous DC Steve Wilks. The fit with Staley never made a ton of sense because of the significant schematic shift San Francisco would have to undergo.

That schematic shift would logically be an obstacle again entering the 2025 season. However, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted in a piece for ESPN.com that Staley “is a strong in-house candidate and could also be in the mix on other NFL coordinator jobs.”

While the 49ers may be trying to prop up Staley as a DC candidate to reporters like Fowler, head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t seem enthusiastic about hiring internally for a second year in a row.

“The internal one, I’ll give Staley a shot,” said Shanahan. “Just talking to him, he’s been here. There will be a lot of guys outside the building too.”

That doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement for Staley out of the gates. Shanahan did say he’s open to any changes he believes would make the team better, so perhaps Staley’s interview creates some wholesale change in mindset for the 49ers head coach.

While that’s on the table, it also feels unlikely with coaches like Robert Saleh, Jeff Ulbrich, Dennis Allen and others on the market who have experience in the 4-3 base defense Shanahan has long preferred.

Staley is a big name who will get another interview, but it’s hard to imagine he’s atop the 49ers list of candidates as they move through the process of finding a long-term answer to run their defense.

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Brandon Staley to receive another interview with 49ers for DC opening

The 49ers are set to interview assistant head coach Brandon Staley for their DC job.

2025 will be the second consecutive offseason where the San Francisco 49ers will conduct a search for a new defensive coordinator.

It will also be the second consecutive offseason they’ll interview former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley for the position. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday in a press conference told reporters Staley would be one of the internal candidates San Francisco considers as they aim to replace the recently-fired Nick Sorensen.

Staley didn’t land the 49ers’ DC job last season, but his interview went well enough that he wound up as an assistant head coach. It’s unclear how much influence he had on San Francisco’s defense in 2024, but given that Sorensen was let go and Staley is getting an interview, it stands to reason his voice wasn’t prominent enough to have an adverse impact on his prospects of landing the DC gig.

Prior to becoming the Chargers’ head coach, Staley was the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams in 2020. That season LA finished No. 1 in both yards and points allowed en route to divisional round loss to the Green Bay Packers.

His defensive success didn’t translate to his tenure as a head coach where the Chargers finished no higher than 20th in yards allowed and no higher than 21st in points allowed across his three seasons in charge.

A move to Staley as the DC would spark a significant change in the 49ers’ scheme. Under head coach Kyle Shanahan the 49ers have reliably run a 4-3 base defense in the Pete Carroll vein. Staley’s background uses a 3-4 base after he came up in the NFL under former 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Perhaps that’s the kind of change San Francisco wants to undergo in the offseason, but it would make more sense if they aimed for a coach like Robert Saleh or Jeff Ulbrich who would provide a less dramatic shift on that side of the ball.

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Nick Sirianni among two coaches remaining from 2021 hiring cycle after Jets fire Robert Saleh

Nick Sirianni and Dan Campbell are among the final two coaches remaining from 2021 hiring cycle after Jets fire Robert Saleh

After being named the Eagles head coach, Nick Sirianni was laughed at and mocked following his introductory press conference. Still, he’s one of the last survivors from the 2021 coaching cycle after the Jets fired Robert Saleh on Tuesday morning.

Adam Schefter reported that defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be the interim head coach.

With the move, only Sirianni and the Lions’ Dan Campbell remain as coaching hires from four years ago.

According to ESPN Research, Saleh is now the third head coach fired after losing a game in London. The Raiders fired coach Dennis Allen in 2014 the day after they lost 38-14 to the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium, while the Dolphins fired coach Joe Philbin in 2015 the day after they lost 27-14 to the Jets at Wembley. Saleh’s firing comes two days after the Jets lost 23-17 to the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Saleh was 20-36 in parts of three seasons as the Jets head coach, including 2-3 in 2024.

Sirianni is 36-19 as Eagles head coach. The team has made three straight playoff appearances, including a Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs in 2022.

Campbell has amassed an even 27-27-1 record in Detroit despite starting 4-19-1 through his first 24 games. He’s delivered the team’s first division title in 30 years and two playoff wins—double the number the franchise had had in the previous 60 years.

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Kyle Shanahan hints at potential schematic shakeup for 49ers defense

Could the 49ers’ personnel force them to make big-time schematic changes on defense?

There may be significant change coming for the San Francisco 49ers’ struggling defense.

Since Week 2 we’ve seen the 49ers mix up their personnel to try and help that unit. Rookie defensive backs Malik Mustapha and Renardo Green have gotten some run. Second-year linebacker Dee Winters saw time in De’Vondre Campbell’s Will LB spot in Week 3 before exiting with an ankle injury.

Now a bigger alteration could be on the horizon following defensive tackle Javon Hargrave’s injury. His absence leaves a sizable hole in an already thin defensive line, and the 49ers may not have the personnel to make up for his absence in the current iteration of their defense.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday in a press conference indicated Hargrave’s season-ending triceps tear may act as a catalyst for some scheme changes.

“I thought our D-Line last week affected the quarterback the most that they had in their three games,” Shanahan said. “I thought that they had one of their better games. But it’s a huge loss, losing Javon. Guys are going to have to step it up and when you don’t have the rush, then you’ve got to turn to other things schematically.”

The number of players the 49ers can realistically rely on to ‘step up’ in Hargrave’s absence is small. Defensive end Nick Bosa will need to look more like a Defensive Player of the Year. DE Leonard Floyd will need to look more like he has the past four seasons. The entire defensive tackle rotation will need to be better. It’s going to be a group effort, but it’s hard to imagine the 49ers are going to affect the quarterback at the rate their current scheme requires.

Perhaps the club experiments some with a 3-4 defensive front. That’s something assistant head coach Brandon Staley has done during his career as a defensive coordinator and head coach.

They may have to alter things in the secondary as well changing when and how much they run zone coverages vs. man coverages.

Whatever it winds up being, all the possibilities have to be on the table for the 49ers. They weren’t playing championship-level defense to start the year even with Hargrave in the mix. Now they have to figure out how to do it without him, and that just might require San Francisco to make big changes in how its defense operates.

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49ers plan to hire former Rams DC Brandon Staley

Brandon Staley is heading to a division rival, joining the 49ers’ staff in a prominent role

Brandon Staley was fired by the Chargers last season but he won’t be out of football completely this year. While Staley didn’t land a defensive coordinator position despite drawing interest, he is joining the San Francisco 49ers’ staff, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

He’s being hired to a “prominent staff role” in San Francisco, potentially even assistant head coach alongside Kyle Shanahan. Staley worked one year as the Rams’ defensive coordinator in 2020, when Los Angeles ranked first in total defense, but he’ll now try to beat Los Angeles twice a year as a member of the rival team up north.

Staley’s tenure with the Chargers did not go well, finishing with a 24-24 record in two-plus seasons. The Chargers made the playoffs once but lost in the first round, never finishing better than 10-7 in a single season.

Report: 49ers hiring former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley as assistant head coach

The former Chargers head coach is reportedly being hired as the 49ers new assistant head coach.

Brandon Staley, former head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers was a candidate for the San Francisco 49ers’ opening at defensive coordinator, receiving an interview with the team.

While the 49ers have reportedly promoted defensive passing game specialist Nick Sorensen to defensive coordinator, the former Chargers play caller is still expected to join the 49ers in Santa Clara.

According to Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the 49ers are hiring Staley to assistant head coach.

Via @AdamSchefter on Twitter:

Staley served as head coach of the Chargers for three seasons, compiling a 24-24 regular season record. Staley dropped his only playoff game to the Chargers with a brutal loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022.

Prior to being named head coach of the Chargers, Staley served as defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams under Sean McVay.

Staley will replace former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn who recently served as assistant head coach of the 49ers. Lynn was hired by the Washington Commanders during the offseason.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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10 candidates 49ers should consider for defensive coordinator

The #49ers should look to replace Steve Wilks with one of these 10 candidates:

The 49ers on Wednesday added a box to their offseason checklist when they parted ways with defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Filling that vacancy now becomes their top priority and it may be a huge key in helping the team get back to a Super Bowl after losing one – a nigh impossible feat.

Shanahan said the team will look at both internal and external candidates for the job, which leaves a massive pool to choose from. However, that pool will be narrowed by Shanahan’s defensive philosophy and what he’s expecting from his new DC.

Here are 10 candidates that the 49ers could (and probably should) look at:

Chargers WR Quentin Johnston reflects on rookie season, eyes breakout sophomore campaign

Quentin Johnston is ready to put his rookie season behind him and put together a solid sophomore campaign.

Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston is coming off his rookie season. A season in which he finished with 38 catches for 417 yards and two touchdowns.

Johnston recently spoke with Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez to talk about the opportunity where he and two other first-year players are inviting cruisers to score an unforgettable vacation getaway as well as his rookie campaign and what to expect in Year 2.

CW: Can you tell us about your partnership with Pepsi Zero Sugar and Carnival Cruise Line?

QJ: I’m excited to be partnering with Pepsi Zero Sugar and Carnival Cruise to kick off my rookie season. We are giving first-time cruisers a chance to set sail.

CW: How do fans enter for a chance to win the “Board a Rookie. Return a Pro.” Sweepstakes?

QJ: They can win the sweepstakes by visiting pepsirookiecruise.com.

CW: You’re now removed from your rookie season. Reflect on your first year in the pros.

QJ: Yeah, you know, everybody’s first season is kind of unexpected in a way just because this is the longest season. I thought my last college season was long just because we went to the playoffs and everything. But by the time that was over, we were still having NFL games, so a great learning experience with some great guys. Being on the field and then in the actual meeting room with Keenan. Guys like Mike. You know, day in and day out. It helped me elevate my game and just my mental knowledge of the game of football altogether.

CW: It seemed like you faced a lot of pressure, like most first-round picks do. But I believe expectations regarding rookies need to be tempered. What do you tell people that are that way? What are you looking to improve and what do you feel like you had a lot of success in your rookie season?

QJ: Just tell them once you’re drafted, you’re drafted. It doesn’t really matter where you get drafted you’re on the team and just be patient. I feel like a lot of rookies have different experiences and from my experience, it’s still football. But from college to the NFL, that’s a few levels up. Stuff like that takes time to get used to. I feel like, at this point, I have a full season under my belt. Starting to train with real professional guys day in and day out. Next season I feel like it will be more of my breakout season, and I’m very excited about it.

CW: Who would you say that you were the closest with and what was the best advice given?

QJ: Keenan Allen, for sure. On the field, you know he’s a great route runner. So just watching him come in and out of his breaks, especially starting camp. Just watching him and he’s doing it at a high level. He’d put me to the side and just start showing me how to tempo through certain routes and stuff like that. Off the field, stuff like film study, how to develop a routine when you’re away from the field so you can come back and refresh and have everything that you need to put your best foot forward the next day.

CW: How about former Chargers wide receiver coach Chris Beatty? He’s with the Bears now. He was your first positional coach in the NFL. What did you learn from him? What did he teach you? And what can you say about Chris?

QJ: Coach Beatty was a pretty good coach. He was my first NFL coach. That was a great experience with him. He’s been with a lot of teams and has coached a lot of good guys that I looked up to growing up. Guys like Tavon Austin. He would just tell me how those guys developed through the years and how I can develop, where he sees me at different points in the season. Hard coaching to set me up for this season coming up here, so I appreciate him for that.

CW: You’re having one of the most prestigious coaches in Jim Harbaugh coming in. I think people forget that you had a really good game against Michigan in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, too. 6 catches, 163 yards and a touchdown. What can you say about Jim? What are you looking forward to?

QJ: Very, very excited to have him. He actually shot me a text a few days after he got the job, and then a day or two after that, we got on the phone and had a cool little conversation about everything. We did talk about that Michigan game when we played them. So that was that was a pretty fun conversation. He wasn’t too happy about that. But I’m excited for him coming off this success he’s been having and we’re going to do everything we can to make that translate for him and for us to the next level.

CW: What can fans expect from you in Year 2?

QJ: I have a full year under my belt. I will continue to listen and learn from the other guys in the wide receiver room. Continue to master my craft. So I can guarantee this will be my breakout season and I’m just going to have fun while I’m doing it.