Dan Campbell Outlines The Plan For Assistant Coach Duce Staley
There has been significant focus on the lack of Black head coaches in the NFL for years now. Even so, there are only three out of 32 teams after this year’s coaching carousel. Dan Campbell, who was hired to coach the Detroit Lions this year, is trying to do his part.
Campbell hired Duce Staley away from the Philadelphia Eagles staff. Staley, a long time Eagles running back, got some buzz for that franchise’s head coaching search, but did not land the job, which went to Nick Sirianni. It does sound like he could be a major candidate moving forward.
Campbell said that he hopes to help Staley get to that level. After being assistant head coach for Philadelphia from 2018-20, he has the same title with the Lions, while also coaching running backs.
“I told him, ‘You’re not going to be a token assistant head coach.’ I’m going to use him,” Dan Campbell said during a press conference on Tuesday, via ProFootballTalk. It sounds like Staley will have a hand in personnel discussions.
“We had him in during our player evaluations on the whole offense and defense — though he wasn’t able to be in there very long because he had to go back with [offensive coordinator Anthony] Lynn and work offensively,” Campbell said. “But I’m going to keep him abreast of the cap and things of that nature, what we’re trying to do with free agency.”
Dan Campbell credits Sean Payton with helping groom him for a head coaching opportunity. He hopes that Staley has the same chances after this stint with the Detroit Lions.
“He’s going to be primed and ready to be a head coach when it’s all said and done. All his bases are going to be covered. He’s going to be able to check off every box and say I’ve been there, I’ve done that. I know, I’ve been training for this — just like Sean did for me. He’s going to be a true assistant head coach. And if something goes down and he needs to step in into my seat, he’s ready to roll. So that’s how I view it.”
Hopefully Staley and others land those opportunity. More equity in NFL hiring, both for head coaching opportunities and other influential positions like coordinator and assistant head coaching roles, is long overdue.
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