PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 08: Assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley of the Philadelphia Eagles (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
Duce Staley is happy with his role on the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the league’s best offenses from top to bottom, as a dominant offensive unit has helped Carson Wentz become one of the league’s most deadly quarterbacks. While Duce Staley has been integral in Philly’s evolution over the years, he has been passed up time and time again for offensive coordinator jobs.
Even though the Eagles failed to name him as their new OC following the Mike Groh firing, Staley has stayed positive about his role in Philly, even though he claimed that “having a conversation” about how minority coordinators can be funneled toward head-coaching jobs is important.
Duce Staley was a star player and has become a solid coach with the Eagles.
In his 10-year NFL career, seven of which were spent with the Eagles and three of which were spent with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Staley totaled over 8,000 yards and scored 34 touchdowns, becoming one of Andy Reid’s first star running backs. Staley became a coach in Philly in 2011, and was named running backs coach in 2013. He was promoted to assistant head coach in 2018, and has done a fantastic job juggling both roles over the last couple of seasons.
Staley knows that he is an integral part of Philly’s explosive offense. If he continues to help Miles Sanders evolve into a game-changer, Staley will get an opportunity as either an offensive coordinator or head coach somewhere in the league if he isn’t given it in Philadelphia due to his experience accrued over the last few seasons.
There are only three African-American head coaches (Anthony Lynn, Mike Tomlin, Brian Flores) and two African-American offensive coordinators (Byron Leftwich, Eric Bieneimy) in the NFL right now. Only two of the 19 African-American head coaches in NFL history (Hue Jackson, Jim Caldwell) were previously offensive coordinators.
Even in an age where the Rooney Rule is sadly becoming more of a box to be checked than a way to promote the hiring of quality minority head coaches, Staley’s credentials should help him become a head coach at some point in the near future.