What Brandon Staley Will Do for the 49ers
The 49ers hired Brandon Staley today, but not to be their defensive coordinator or to call their defensive plays. So what will he do?
Before we answer that question, it's important to point out that the 49ers probably aren't paying Staley much. Why should they? The Chargers have to fork over another $4 million to Staley in 2024, which essentially means they're paying for him to work for the 49ers next season. How generous.
So the 49ers haven't necessarily invested much in Staley, but he still will have a critical role on the coaching staff.
Don't expect Staley to be in the meetings during the week on the sideline on game days interacting with players. That's what new defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen will do. Expect Staley to be in the coach's booth on game days where he can see all 22 players and help Sorensen make adjustments.
Remember, Wilks wanted to be in the coach's booth and called plays from there for the first half of the season. Then the 49ers forced him to call plays from the sideline. Now they'll basically have a coordinator on the field and one in the booth as well.
In addition, Staley will help Sorensen game plan for teams he's not so familiar with, teams such as the Chiefs. That's because Staley faced them twice a season the past three years when he was coaching the Chargers. It's hard to imagine Sorensen out-coaching Andy Reid in the Super Bowl if they face each other again. Staley will give the 49ers some help and an extra set of eyes for cheap.
Sounds like a good deal.
