Chargers News: Dolphins' Defensive Coordinator's Impact on Brandon Staley's Coaching Career

A mentor from early on.

Though it's been a quick rise to a top job in the coaching ranks for Bolts' head man Brandon Staley, he's had his fair share of influences that have helped him along the way to achieve such heights. 

Among those who paved the way for Staley, one of his biggest mentors will be on the opposite sideline calling defensive plays for the Chargers' opponent in week 1. 

“It’s been fast for him,” said Fangio, who was 61 when he started his first season as a head coach. “But he’s done a good job wherever he’s been, and he’s been deserving of it. Fangio gave Staley his start in the NFL before the 40-year-old made his fast rise to the head coaching ranks. He hired him from a role as defensive coordinator at Division-III John Carroll as outside linebackers coach in Chicago when Fangio was still coordinating the Bears defense in 2017 and 2018. Staley accompanied Fangio when the elder coach got the head job in Denver in 2019. Before you know it, Staley was Rams defensive coordinator in 2020 and got the Chargers job the next year.

via David Furones, South Florida Sun Sentinel

Fangio first came to national prominence as the Bears' defensive coordinator in their playoff 2018 season, leading one of the best units on that side of the ball in the entire league. 

Taking Staley along with him, his tutelage likely rubbed off on Staley as the younger of the pair moved on to coach the LA Rams defense in 2019. 

Heading the Bolts since 2020, Staley's job security and game planning have long been questioned due to numerous consequences of his poor decisions, from losing games and losing players to injury at the worst possible time due to his direction. 

Though his seat is hot for this year in the eyes of some, Staley is LA's top man at this moment, eager to start his 2023 campaign on the right foot against Fangio and Miami in their collective season opener.