Tag: Brandon Staley

11 candidates for Cowboys vacant defensive coordinator position

The Cowboys are in need of fresh perspective in the defensive coordinator role, but it may be a difficult fill. 11 candidates, both internal and external. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Cowboys are in a unique situation now. They are going to have to find a new defensive coordinator after the departure of Dan Quinn. Quinn became Washington’s new head coach, and will have a playground to work with that includes $63 million in cap space and the No. 2 overall selection in a QB-heavy draft class.

That Dallas needs to replace a coordinator isn’t a big deal. The fact that their head coach is going into the final year of his contract without an extension is what makes things difficult. Defensive assistants in positive environments, or with a bunch of opportunities, might hesitate to pack up their lives (and families) for what might be a one-and-done.

On the other hand, veteran defensive minds might look at this as an opportunity to audition for one of the most famous sports jobs in America. Theoretically, a coach with experience would be in line to be at worst an interim hire should things go bad for Mike McCarthy’s offense and an in-season firing happened. They’d at least get consideration for the gig were Dallas to move on from McCarthy at the end of the 2024 season.

And if there’s success? Then the DC would be in running for head coach job elsewhere in 2025. With that in mind, here’s a collection of names —both internal and external —that could be on Jerry Jones and company’s radar as the interview process convenes.

Rams interviewing Brandon Staley for defensive coordinator job Wednesday

The Rams will interview Brandon Staley for their defensive coordinator position on Wednesday

Brandon Staley is among the candidates for the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator position and on Wednesday, he’ll officially interview for the job, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Rams have been linked to Staley since Raheem Morris left to become the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach, and while it was reported he would interview with Los Angeles this week, we now know when that meeting will take place.

A reunion between the Rams and Staley would make sense. Staley coached the Rams’ top-ranked defense in 2020, his only year as a defensive coordinator, before becoming the Chargers’ head coach in 2021. His tenure with the Chargers didn’t go well but some coaches are better suited to be coordinators than head coaches, and Staley could fit that mold.

Tracking all of the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator interviews

Who the Dolphins are interview to replace Vic Fangio.

The Miami Dolphins, following the conclusion of their 2023 campaign, have parted ways with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio after just one season.

Now, before Miami fully dives into the process of preparing for 2024, they’ll need to find a replacement for Fangio to lead the team’s defense.

We’ll keep track of all coaches who are interviewing or being requested to interview for the position here:

Rams to interview Brandon Staley for defensive coordinator job next week

The Rams are bringing in Brandon Staley for an interview next week

The Los Angeles Rams are in search of a new defensive coordinator after losing Raheem Morris to the Atlanta Falcons and they’re at least considering the possibility of bringing back Brandon Staley. According to Albert Breer, the Rams will bring in Staley for an interview next week after he interviews with the Dolphins on Monday.

Staley also interviewed for the Packers’ defensive coordinator position, so he’s getting looks from three different teams.

Staley was the Rams’ defensive coordinator for one season in 2020 before becoming the Chargers’ head coach in 2021, a job he held for two-plus years before being fired this past season.

When Staley was with the Rams, they had the No. 1-ranked defense in points and yards allowed. The Chargers struggled under his guidance, however, going just 24-24 in 48 games with Staley as the head coach.

4 things to know about Dolphins defensive coordinator candidate Brandon Staley

Get to know the former Chargers coach who’s interviewing for Miami’s open DC position.

With their 2023 season now in the rearview, the Miami Dolphins are interviewing candidates for their defensive coordinator role, which was left open after the team mutually parted ways with Vic Fangio.

To this point, there have only been two known coaches who will interview for the job – Bobby Babich and Brandon Staley.

Before Mike McDaniel, Chris Grier and Stephen Ross make a decision on who will run the defense, let’s take some time to get to know Staley.

Former Chargers HC Brandon Staley to interview with Packers and Dolphins

Brandon Staley is reportedly a hot defensive coordinator on the market.

Former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley has entered the pool of defensive coordinator candidates for teams with vacancies this offseason.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Staley will interview with Green Bay on Friday and then Miami on Saturday. The Rams are also reported to have interest in their former 2020 defensive coordinator following the departure of now Falcons head coach Raheem Morris.

Staley rose to prominence initially following his work with the Rams in 2020. Leading the No. 1 ranked defense in the league with his unique light box defensive style eventually earned him the gig with the Chargers. It would make some institutional sense for Staley to replace Morris with a decent comfort level in the franchise and opportunity to reunite with Sean McVay.

With Miami and Green Bay, Staley does have perhaps a unique perspective to spin on similar schemes. Former Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry worked under Staley’s defense in Los Angeles as linebackers coach. Ultimately, it seems like the Packers want a new play caller approach to the same Vic Fangio style scheme that Barry ran.

The same could be said for Staley’s Miami interview. He could bring a Fangio-inspired defensive approach to replacing his former mentor. Reportedly, Fangio and the Dolphins’ split was mutual as he pursued an opportunity to work closer to home with Philadelphia. If the Dolphins wanted to keep the same system in place with Jalen Ramsey, Staley would fit right in. The two obviously worked magic together with the 2020 Rams.

Staley is reportedly a hot defensive coordinator on the market, per Ian Rapoport. Lining up two interviews with another team interested does give credence to that. However, I’d be curious to see how Staley answers for  never having a single-season defense that ranked higher than 19th in EPA/play in his time with the Chargers. Or, the league-wide trend that the two high shell schemes that have not been run by Fangio himself have been taking a beating recently.

Dolphins to interview former Chargers HC Brandon Staley for defensive coordinator role

Miami has their first official candidate for a new DC.

The Miami Dolphins have made a number of coaching changes in the last week, including parting ways with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who has already found a landing spot with the Philadelphia Eagles.

With those moves, they’ll have to find coaches to replace those who have left, and that starts this weekend, as according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Miami is scheduled to meet with Brandon Staley.

Staley, 41, was most recently the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, leading them to a 24-25 record in just under three seasons with the team.

Prior to that, he spent time with the Chicago Bears (outside linebackers coach from 2017-18), Denver Broncos (outside linebackers coach in 2019) ad Los Angeles Rams (defensive coordinator in 2021).

Staley worked with Fangio in Chicago and Denver, so he could bring a similar scheme with maybe a more collaborative approach that the Dolphins have been talking about.

Brandon Staley drawing interest from Rams as potential replacement for Raheem Morris

According to Adam Schefter, Brandon Staley has drawn interest from the Rams as a potential replacement for Raheem Morris

The Atlanta Falcons hired Raheem Morris as their head coach on Thursday, leaving the Rams without a defensive coordinator on Sean McVay’s staff. One potential replacement for Morris is Brandon Staley, who was the Rams’ defensive coordinator in 2020 before being hired as the Chargers’ head coach.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Staley has drawn interest from the Rams already as a possible defensive coordinator candidate. Staley is also meeting with the Packers and Dolphins about their defensive coordinator positions, so he has a few suitors around the NFL.

A reunion in Los Angeles would make sense, allowing Staley to remain on the West Coast and return to the team that he helped finish with the No. 1 defense in the league in 2020.

Packers to interview former Chargers coach Brandon Staley for defensive coordinator job

The Green Bay Packers will interview former Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley for the team’s open defensive coordinator job, per The Athletic.

The Green Bay Packers will interview former Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley for the team’s open defensive coordinator job, according to Dianna Russini and Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.

Staley went 24-24 over three seasons as the Chargers coach. The 41-year-old coach was fired on Dec. 15 after the Chargers gave up 63 points in a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and fell to 5-9 overall.

Staley’s only season as an NFL defensive coordinator came in 2020 with the Los Angeles Rams. He took over for veteran coordinator Wade Phillips and led the Rams to a league-best finish in both points allowed and total yards allowed.

The Chargers ranked 29th, 21st and 24th in points allowed over Staley’s three seasons as head coach. By DVOA, the Chargers ranked 26th in 2023, 21st in 2022 and 26th in 2021. The Rams were No. 3 in 2020.

Staley came up in the NFL under veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. He served as an outside linebackers coach for the Chicago Bears from 2017 to 2018 and as an outside linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos in 2019 before connecting with Sean McVay in Los Angeles.

The Packers fired defensive coordinator Joe Barry following the 2023 season.

4 defensive coordinator candidates for Dolphins after Vic Fangio’s departure

Some options for who could to take over for Vic Fangio.

The Miami Dolphins, just two weeks after being eliminated from the postseason, parted ways with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio on Wednesday, leaving a large hole in the coaching staff.

Fangio joined head coach Mike McDaniel’s regime last offseason and helped Miami’s defense survive through a number of injuries to key players.

Now, without the veteran coach, the Dolphins will be looking for a replacement. We put together a short list of options that Miami may look at in the coming weeks.