Ex-NFL Head Coach Listed As Top Candidate for Saints DC After Kellen Moore Hiring

New Orleans reportedly is targeting an experienced coach for its open defensive coordinator position.

Former Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley works on the sideline. / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints finally have their new head coach in Kellen Moore, and now one former NFL coach is already popping up as a top candidate for the team's defensive coordinator position.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley is a "leading candidate" to become the Saints' defensive coordinator on Moore's staff.

Staley led the Chargers for nearly three full seasons before he was fired in December 2023 after a prime-time 63–21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. He went 24-24 in his tenure with the Chargers and had one playoff appearance, which resulted in a wild-card loss.

Moore and Staley worked together for one season when the Saints' new head coach was the Chargers' offensive coordinator in 2023. Moore then worked as the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles this past season.

Former Chargers HC Brandon Staley, who spent last season as an assistant coach in San Francisco, is a leading candidate to become Kellen Moore‘s defensive coordinator in New Orleans, per sources. pic.twitter.com/JzdhZmHKo0

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 11, 2025

In 2024, Staley worked as the San Francisco 49ers' assistant head coach to Kyle Shanahan.

Staley served as the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator in 2020 before landing the Chargers' head-coaching job in '21. He also worked as a defensive coordinator at the collegiate level for John Carroll and James Madison before he made his way over to the NFL.

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