Duce Staley Expected to Be Candidate for Eagles HC Vacancy, Per Jeffrey Lurie

The Philadelphia Eagles fired head coach Doug Pederson on Monday, but his replacement may come from within the organization.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie told reporters Monday that he expects assistant head coach and running backs coach Duce Staley to be a candidate for the vacancy. 

Staley has been with the Eagles since 2010 and was promoted to assistant head coach in 2018. 

Pederson, who guided the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, was let go after the Eagles finished 4-11-1 this season, his fifth with the team. He ended his career in Philadelphia with a 46-39-1 record, including four postseason victories.

Among current and former Eagles players who expressed their disappointment over the firing of Pederson were several that gave their support to Staley as a candidate for his replacement.

Staley joined the Eagles as a coaching intern in 2010 and became the special teams quality control coach for the two seasons following. Dating back to when he joined the team in 2011, the Eagles running game ranks sixth in the NFL in rushing offense (124.2 yards per game). 

Players under his tutelage include Miles Sanders and Boston Scott, as well as LeGarrette Blount and LeSean McCoy.

As a player, Staley began his career as a running back with Philadelphia in 1997 before finishing his career across the state with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006.