NFL Head Coach Rankings: Where Chargers' Brandon Staley Lands on the List

Where does Brandon Staley rank among NFL head coaches?

In the first year with Brandon Staley at the helm, the Chargers missed out on the playoffs following an overtime loss to the Raiders in Week 18. While the team's offensive unit finished top five across many statistical categories, the defense vastly called for improvements to be had this offseason.

Staley, who now enters his second season as a head coach, has an abundance of new additions to the Chargers defense, including a handful of players who've previously played in his scheme during prior stops along the way in Chicago and Denver.

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports compiled a head coach rankings, placing Staley in the middle of the pack.

Staley was ranked No. 17 under the category of 'The Guys' which is described as the following: "Some of these coaches are past their prime. Some of them are approaching it. At the end of the day, they represent the majority of head coaches and the middle tier – proven or respected as competitors but not necessarily title contenders."

Benjamin wrote the following about Staley:

"His analytically informed hyper-aggressiveness on fourth downs gets all the pub, but he's gotta be a better decision-maker as a whole, incorporating common sense into key spots. Still, his pass "D" was good and should only improve in 2022, he remains a respected up-and-comer with X's and O's, and he should have an opportunity to taste the postseason now that QB Justin Herbert has even more help on both sides of the ball."

It's no secret that Staley leans on the side of being aggressive rather than playing it safe. While it's a gamble – and in some cases has shown to be costly – there's a method to the madness and Staley is a firm believer in what he's ultimately putting together.

Now, factoring in that the Chargers defense should be significantly improved from a season ago, there’s the thought that Staley can turn things over to his defensive unit with a more profound belief that they can come up with a turnover or stop to get the ball back on offense.

It'll be a wait and see to determine whether or not Staley rolls things back a bit in terms of his aggressive nature, but after laying out a full season, it's clear that being the aggressor is part of the Chargers' identity.

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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Charger Report. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel for more Chargers coverage.