Getty Running backs coach Duce Staley of the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Chicago Bears are reportedly looking East for what could be a potentially huge addition to their coaching staff. Friday night, after the team announced the promotion of safeties coach Sean Desai to defensive coordinator, reports began to circulate saying the Bears were interested in adding current Philadelphia Eagles running backs coach and assistant head coach Duce Staley to their staff.
Adam Jahns of The Athletic originally tweeted: “The Bears have spoken to Duce Staley about a role on Matt Nagy’s staff,” before deleting the Tweet and revealing that while the Bears haven’t spoken to Staley, “There is interest there, however. That’s it for right now.”
Let me rephrase this: the #Bears haven’t spoken to Duce Staley. I deleted the original tweet because of it. I jumped the gun a little bit. There is interest there, however. That’s it for right now.
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Staley Has a History With Head Coach Matt Nagy
A former running back who played for the Eagles from 1997-2003 and for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2004-06, Staley has been coaching for nearly a decade now, and he would make an intriguing addition to the Bears’ staff.
Starting out as a special teams quality control coach from 2011-12 with the Eagles, he was promoted to running backs coach in 2013, a position he keeps to this day. Staley added another role to his resumé in 2018, when the Eagles also made him assistant head coach (2018–present).
Staley’s time in Philadelphia overlapped with that of current head coach Matt Nagy, who served as the Eagles’ offensive quality control coach in 2011-12, so if the Bears are interested in him, as Jahns reported, Nagy’s history with and knowledge of Staley is a likely factor. But could that familiarity be enough to get him to leave Philly? It’s certainly possible, particularly considering the way things are going with the Eagles.
Staley’s Future in Philadelphia Uncertain Right Now
The Eagles can block Chicago’s interview request should they try to speak to Staley, but it remains to be seen how serious the Bears are about poaching the Eagles coach. It’s also possible with the current coaching changes happening, Staley’s future in Philly is uncertain.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Laurie recently stated Staley could be in the running to replace Doug Pederson as head coach, but Philadelphia went with former Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni instead. Sirianni will likely have his preferences when it comes to coordinators and position coaches, and where Staley falls in his plans for the team is still a giant question mark.
Whatever happens with Staley in Philadelphia, it’s clear his current players love and respect him. Eagles running back Miles Sanders said this about Staley at the end of last season:
“I’ve got so much respect for him and I appreciate him so much for just pushing me. I’m playing my best football right now. I still have a long way to go but he’s definitely bringing a lot out of me and I appreciate him so much for that,” Sanders said, via NBC Sports, adding: “There’s a lot of good running back coaches. But Duce, I don’t think people don’t know how good a teacher he is.”
Much is up in the air with Staley potentially coming to the Bears, including what his role would be. Chicago recently lost its quarterbacks coach (Dave Ragone) and its running backs coach (Charles London) to the Atlanta Falcons, so Staley would likely be filling one of those roles. Stay tuned.
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