Saints Turn to Brandon Staley to Revamp Defense in 2025

Kellen Moore’s staff is beginning to come together in New Orleans. Recently hired as head coach, Moore has reportedly brought in a former head coach to lead the defense.

According to reports, the first-time head coach has tapped former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley as the defensive coordinator. The 42-year-old led the Chargers from 2021-2023 and took the franchise to the playoffs in his second season. Despite finishing with a winning record in his first two years, Staley faced a ton of scrutiny throughout his tenure. In his final season, Moore was hired to be Los Angeles’ offensive coordinator. Following a 5-9 start, Staley was fired in the aftermath of a 63-21 loss to the rival Las Vegas Raiders.

Known for his defensive prowess before becoming the head coach of the Chargers, Staley returned to the defensive side of the ball following his dismissal. New Orleans’ new DC spent last season with the San Francisco 49ers serving as their assistant head coach. Staley’s new opportunity with the Saints represents his second stint as a DC in the NFL — having previously worked under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020.

Moore has wasted no time putting together his staff. Prior to reports of Staley’s hiring, the Saints offered the special teams coordinator role to Phil Galiano — Galiano was an assistant special teams coach for the Saints for the past six seasons. Additionally, sources have linked Philadelphia quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier to the open offensive coordinator position. Nussmeier has worked with Moore since 2019. In Dallas, Nussmeier was an assistant under Moore when he was the OC for the Cowboys (2019-2022). When Moore went to the Chargers for the 2023 season, Nussmeier followed.

Despite two 9-8 seasons in the past four years, New Orleans hasn’t appeared in the postseason since 2020. Moore, Staley, Nussmeier, and Galiano will be tasked with bringing the Saints back to the biggest stage.