New Orleans Saints gamble on former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley as defensive coordinator after brutal LA exit

Saints hire Brandon Staley as defensive coordinator.

Brandon Staley is getting another shot. The New Orleans Saints are hiring the former Los Angeles Chargers head coach as their new defensive coordinator, per Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

This is Kellen Moore’s third coordinator hire in just a week. The Saints are also bringing in Doug Nussmeier from the Philadelphia Eagles as offensive coordinator and have reportedly offered Phil Galiano the special teams coordinator job. Moore is moving fast—whether it’s the right direction remains to be seen.

Saints to hire former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley as new Defensive Coordinator. (via @RapSheet, @TomPelissero, @MikeGarafolo) pic.twitter.com/61avZXvrXo
— NFL (@NFL) February 21, 2025

Staley spent last season as the San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach, a step down after being fired midseason by the Chargers in 2023. His head coaching career? A mess. But his defensive resume still holds weight, even if it’s starting to fade.

Brandon Staley’s Los Angeles Chargers collapse: A head coach who lost the locker room and his job

This move is risky. Brandon Staley’s tenure as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers was a disaster. The team never found consistency, his defense was never elite, and his biggest moment? A 63-21 humiliation against the Las Vegas Raiders—one of the worst losses in franchise history. The next morning, he was fired.

His record? 24-24 across three seasons. He made the playoffs once, in 2022, and somehow lost a 27-0 lead against the Jacksonville Jaguars in one of the worst postseason collapses ever.

Now, he’s reuniting with Kellen Moore, who was his offensive coordinator in 2023. That partnership didn’t exactly work in LA, with the Chargers finishing 5-12. Yet, Moore is rolling the dice again, handing Staley the keys to a Saints defense that ranked 19th in points allowed and 30th in total yards allowed last season.

New Orleans Saints defensive problems: Brandon Staley has talent, but cap space is a nightmare

The New Orleans Saints defense is a mess. Last season, they were bottom-five in yards allowed and couldn’t stop much of anything. The one bright spot? Talent. Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, Carl Granderson, and rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry give Staley a strong core to work with.

But here’s the real problem: the Saints are $54.1 million over the salary cap. That means big roster changes are coming, and Staley will be dealing with a defense that could look completely different by Week 1. Good luck fixing a broken defense with no money.

All I’m asking is Brandon Staley is please don’t have our defense doing this🤦🏽‍♂️😭 pic.twitter.com/g9qinX9nV2
— Jalen (@JalenDavis4444) February 21, 2025

So what’s the expectation? The Saints haven’t made the playoffs since 2020, and head coach Kellen Moore is banking on familiar faces to turn things around. If Staley’s defensive schemes work like they did with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020, this could be a great hire. If it looks anything like his Los Angeles Chargers defense, he won’t last long.

Image: Imagn Images

Brandon Staley

Natasha Bose

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