Philadelphia Eagles: 7 head coaching candidates to watch
Will the Philadelphia Eagles finally give Duce Staley an opportunity?
Duce Staley – Assistant Head Coach/Running backs coach
Duce Staley has been constantly rumored to be up for bigger and better things in the Eagles organization, most recently as an offensive coordinator.
The former Eagles running back has risen up the ranks in the organization since retiring, most recently finishing the season as the team’s assistant head coach and running backs coach.
Former Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins took to Twitter to support Staley as a candidate for the job.
Duce Staley #NextManUp !!! Every time he stood in front of the team he had the attention and respect of everyone in the room. The embodiment of what it means to be an 🦅 @Eagles , in a coach. I’m good where I’m at lol BUT, In another lifetime I’d love to play for him!
— Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) January 11, 2021
That’s a lot of praise from Jenkins, considering he didn’t leave the Eagles on great terms. Jenkins is a very thoughtful guy with a bright future beyond having a great NFL career, so his endorsement means a lot.
It’s slightly concerning that while Staley has been up for coordinator positions in the past, he’s never gotten the job. Even this offseason it sounds like Pederson was leaning towards promoting Press Taylor to offensive coordinator instead of Staley. Lurie also appears to be leaning towards a fresh voice and eyes in the organization, but he did say that Staley would likely get an interview.
Jeffrey Lurie: "I would expect Duce Staley to be a candidate" for head coach. #Eagles
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) January 11, 2021
If he does get the job, Staley would have to have either an offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach for Wentz and/or Jalen Hurts to learn from. Considering he’s been a player and coach in the NFL for years, he likely has a potential coaching staff in mind.
Next. Firing Doug Pederson is a band-aid, not the cure. dark
Staley will likely get an interview, and it wouldn’t shock me if he’s a finalist for the job. The players appear to love him, and he knows the Philadelphia market from both a player’s and coach’s standpoint. He also has the Andy Reid tie, having played for him for five seasons.