After Brandon Staley was fired as head coach of the Chargers at the end of last season, he was on the shortlist for a number of defensive coordinator jobs, but didn’t land any.
The 49ers were one of the teams he interviewed with and they offered him another job on Kyle Shanahan’s staff. The 49ers confirmed this week that the title is assistant head coach/defense, and Staley spoke to reporters for the first time in his new role on Wednesday.
Nick Sorenson is the coordinator and Shanahan said Staley knows that and is on staff because “he can help us in a number of roles,” including serving as a sounding board for Sorenson. That’s a big change for Staley, but he said he “doesn’t think it’s a bad thing to think of it as a reset” because of how well he fits with Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
“Talking to Kyle and John, there are a lot of similarities in how to run a football team,” Staley said, via the club’s Cam Inman. San Jose Mercury News. “That’s what I was looking for more than anything, an opportunity where you feel like you’re connecting with the right people doing things the right way and where you have the chance to improve, and where you also have the opportunity to influence a team that can compete for the championship. All those stars aligned. Are been energetic. Thanks to that reset I was able to do that.”
Staley spent just one year as a coordinator before beginning a stint with the Chargers that was seen as a disappointment because of how they consistently fell short in big spots. Taking a step back would be necessary to get another shot at a lead coaching job, and doing so with a team that has built a different reputation is just as good as starting down that path.
