Getty Duce Staley before an Eagles game.
The Detroit Lions have a new running back coach in Duce Staley that carved out a successful career for himself not only as a player, but as an instructor at the position as well. Interestingly enough, he sees some big things from a key player on his new roster.
It was almost a year ago that the Lions spent a second-round pick on D’Andre Swift, and that move paid off handsomely for the team. Swift was one of the brightest young runners in the game en-route to putting up 521 yards and 8 touchdowns, and it’s safe to say his new coach is fired up about who he will inherit at the position.
Speaking this week, Staley was asked about Swift, and as he said, he’s fired up to get into the mix with the young running back and help him to show his talent on the field.
Lions RBs coach and assistant head coach Duce Staley said he can’t wait to start working with D’Andre Swift. Staley said they’re going to put Detroit’s backs in a position to show their talent.
This isn’t the first that Staley has seen of Swift, of course. Swift came from Philadelphia, and Staley managed to get to a high-school game to watch him play. That performance left Staley commenting about how awesome Swift was even then.
New Lions RBs coach Duce Staley said he went to see D’Andre Swift in HS – the Eagles’ security director is friends with Swift’s dad – and thought he was “awesome” back then.
The pairing of Swift and Staley is going to be a phenomenal one to note and the hope is the new staff can find some untapped potential with their new group.
How Duce Staley Can Help Lions Runners
Hiring Staley to the mix was a low-key stroke of genius for the Lions and Dan Campbell. Not only has Staley coached great runners in the NFL before, but he’s been there and done that in terms of the grind himself in the league. For Swift, this can only be a bonus heading into his second season in the league. Staley can help groom Swift and make him into the type of runner the Lions need to carry the load for their franchise moving forward.
It’s not just Swift that will benefit, however. Kerryon Johnson is also in the mix, and the Lions could use him to continue his development in the league. Getting Staley to lend Johnson some wisdom about pass blocking and running will help the Lions out in a big way.
Duce Staley Career Stats
Fans will remember Staley for the hard-charging career he had with the Philadelphia Eagles. From 1997-2003, Staley was a running back for the Eagles before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2004-2006. He captured Super Bowl XL with the Steelers in Detroit, and then transitioned into a coaching role in Philadelphia starting in 2011 when he became a quality control coach for special teams. Starting in 2013, he was named the running backs coach and picked up the title of assistant head coach in 2018, which he held until his departure in 2020.
During his time with the Eagles, Staley helped in the development of multiple key running backs including LeSean McCoy, Miles Sanders, Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount and others. The running game was a huge reason the Eagles captured Super Bowl LII and now, Staley will be asked to bring that experience to Detroit for D’Andre Swift and their young running game.
Clearly, Staley is ready to go as it relates to working with Swift already, which should be a very encouraging sign for Lions fans.