Report: Browns To Hire Duce Staley As Running Backs Coach

Staley joins the Browns after the team parted ways with Stump Mitchell

The Browns have zeroed in on their next running backs coach.

Former NFL running back and Panthers running backs coach Duce Staley will be hired as Cleveland’s next running backs coach, according to a report from Josina Anderson.

I’m told Duce Staley informed the #Jets he’s expecting to join the Cleveland #Browns, per source. pic.twitter.com/SjawWNwq6y

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 24, 2024

Staley, who also interviewed with the Jets, will fill the role that was previously held by Stump Mitchell, who was fired last week after spending the previous five seasons as the running backs coach. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and tight ends coach T.C. McCartney were also fired but have yet to be replaced.

Staley, who was also the assistant head coach with the Lions and Panthers, spent last season with the Panthers, who ranked 20th in the league with 104.1 rushing yards per game. Panthers running backs Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and Raheem Blackshear averaged only 3.5 yards per carry last season, but the Panthers had one of the least effective offensive lines in the league as well as one of the worst offenses, finishing last in the league with just 13.9 points per game.

Sep 18, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions assistant head coach Duce Staley talks to players before a play against Washington Commanders during the first half at Ford Field / © Junfu Han-USA TODAY Sports

Staley was previously the assistant head coach and running backs coach with the Lions from 2021-2022. Detroit advanced from 19th in the league in rushing in 2021 to 11th in 2022.

He also held various roles of special teams quality control coach, running backs coach and assistant head coach with the Eagles from 2011-20.

As a running back in the league himself, Staley played with the Eagles (1997-03) and Steelers (2004-06). He totaled 5,785 rushing yards over his career and 24 touchdowns while also totaling 2,587 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns.

Staley will oversee a Browns run game that finished 12th in the league last season in a year where its top running back, Nick Chubb, played only two games. Jerome Ford stepped in as the primary back in his second NFL season and averaged four yards per carry.

General manager Andrew Berry said Monday he intends to have Nick Chubb on the roster in 2024 in the final year of his contract even though it is currently set to come at a steep price for a 29-year-old back coming off a season-ending injury. Chubb’s current deal accounts for $15.8 million against the salary cap, and the Browns could opt to restructure or extend the deal to create more cap flexibility this offseason.