In January of 2021, the Detroit Lions announced former Philadelphia Eagles running back, Duce Staley would be joining the coaching staff as the team’s running back coach. Thriving with the players around him and making a huge impact on the team’s culture, Staley was then promoted to assistant head coach. Now, he is leaving the team to rejoin his former Eagles teammate, Frank Reich, as a part of the Carolina Panthers coaching staff.
Per sources, Lions Assistant head coach/RBs coach Duce Staley is leaving to join Frank Reich's Carolina Panthers staff.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) February 1, 2023
Using his ferocious, hard-hitting mentality, Lions’ running backs dominated with Staley’s guidance. Rushing for 2,179 yards in 2022 and a massive 23 touchdowns, the Detroit Lions’ run game was key to their success. Pushing veteran running back Jamaal Williams proved to be Staley’s best decision as he broke Barry Sanders’ longtime touchdown record with 17 touchdowns on the ground.
What this means for the Detroit Lions and Duce Staley:
With many young and talented coaches in the Lions’ system, a replacement will not be hard to find. Still, Duce will be missed heavily. His insight, care for his players, and ability to push guys to their absolute best, is a rarity in today’s game. Duce Staley is moving on, but so are the Detroit Lions, as they take the next step in their rebuilding process under Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes.
This a big loss for the Lions as Duce Staley added aggression and competition to practices. This was documented heavily during the team’s run on HBO’s Hard Knocks. Staley’s NFL experience as a bruising back fit the mold the Lions needed their current rushers to have. Molding his backs into hard-hitting power backs, the Lions had their most successful rushing season of the past five years. Punishing defenses and wearing out opposing teams, Staley knew how to fire up a squad.
The Lions did just hire a new tight-ends coach in Steve Heiden, allowing current tight-ends coach Tanner Engstrand to focus on being the teams’ passing game coordinator. With that logically being the next step before offensive coordinator, Staley saw that his options were limited in Detroit and left to progress his career. Reports are also claiming that Duce’s mother, Tena, is not fairing well with illness. The team and coach mutually agreed this was the best move for Staley. His close relationship with his mother made this a necessity for him. This may hurt Detroit, but is the right move for Staley and his personal life and career.
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