The Duce is loose, and he’s heading for a reunion with an old boss.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Duce Staley will join the Carolina Panthers’ staff in an undefined role, reuniting with new Panthers head coach Frank Reich, who was Staley’s boss in 2016-17 when Reich was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator and Staley was the team’s running backs coach.
Staley, who played for the Eagles from 1997-2003, was part of Andy Reid, Chip Kelly, and Doug Pederson’s staffs from 2011-20, serving as a special teams quality control coach on 2011-12 and running backs coach from 2013-20, adding the assistant head coach title for the last three seasons.
He was a finalist for the Eagles’ head coaching job when Nick Sirianni was hired, and he instead spent the last two seasons as assistant head coach and running backs coach for Dan Campbell in Detroit.
The Panthers have not yet officially announced any additions or positions on the new staff, but the Detroit News reported that Staley decided to leave Detroit for the Panthers – whose home in Charlotte is about 90 miles north of his hometown of West Columbia, S.C. – in part to be closer to his mother, who is battling health problems.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport has also reported that Carolina has requested to interview Jaguars passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter for their offensive coordinator position, so Staley’s role may be a lateral move to facilitate that proximity to family.
Last season, Staley’s Lions squad ranked 11th in total rushing yards, while Jamaal Williams led the NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns and recorded his first career 1,000-yard season.
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