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Lindsey ThiryESPN
COSTA MESA, California – The Los Angeles Chargers have agreed to sign Brandon Staley to become their next head coach, the team announced Sunday night.
He will be formally introduced at a news conference on Thursday.
Staley served last season as the Los Angeles Rams’ defense coordinator. He developed the NFL defense behind the defense package Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Staley’s unit chased the Rams to a 10-6 season and a wild card playoff game over the Seattle Seahawks before the team left the post-season with a loss to the Green Bay Packers. In his first year as an NFL coordinator, Staley’s defense ranked No. 1 in efficiency, yards allowed per game and points allowed per game.
With the Chargers, Staley replaces coach Anthony Lynn, who was sacked after four seasons and a 33-31 record.
The Chargers are coming off a 7-9 season that has taken third place in the AFC West.
However, Staley inherits a roster that includes several cornerstone players, including Justin Herbert, the rookie full-back, who has become the youngest full-back in NFL history to hit 30 times in one season. Staley also takes over a defensive unit that includes Pro Bowl defensive end Joey Bosa and All-Pro safety Derwin James.
“It’s hard to put into words how excited I am for the opportunity to be the Los Angeles Chargers’ head coach,” Staley said in a statement. “While it’s definitely a dream come true, it’s also a dream that has just begun. There’s a reason why it was probably the most popular job – from ownership, from the fans, from the city to men in the closet. room – that’s the whole package. ‘
The 38-year-old Staley has risen rapidly through the NFL ranks since he was first appointed as head coach at the Chicago Bears in 2017. He spent two seasons in Chicago under defense coordinator Vic Fangio before following Fangio to the Denver Broncos, where he spent one season as linebacker coach before joining the Rams team.
Ramsey told ESPN that he had been in contact with James about the appointment of Staley and that James was very “excited” about his new coach. Ramsey was a big supporter of Staley’s during the one season with the Rams of the coach.
“He’s going to make a lot of organizations happy because he’s a good guy. He’s about ball, but at the same time he’s a players coach, and I love that, and I hope he’s here for a while,” Ramsey said last week. . month. ‘But it would not surprise me at all if it were a one-time thing. I’ll be happy for him. ‘
Prior to his coaching in the NFL, Staley coached three seasons at John Carroll University, a Division III college in University Heights, Ohio, and also spent a season as a defense coordinator at James Madison University.
“His coaching journey to this particular moment is inspiring; if it is not the perseverance and determination of everything, then it is certainly the dramatic results it has produced for the teams and players he has coached,” said President John Charos of the football industry, said. . “I know it’s a cliché, but I know Brandon literally can not wait to get to work.”