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Duce Staley leaves Eagles to join the Detroit Lions' coaching staff

Staley will join new coach Dan Campbell's staff in Detroit as the assistant head coach and running backs coach, reports say.
Credit: AP
Duce Staley stands on the Eagles' sideline in a 2019 file photo.

PHILADELPHIA — One day after asking out of his contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, longtime assistant coach Duce Staley has reportedly landed another job.

Reporter Jason La Canfora tweeted Monday that Staley is joining Dan Campbell's staff on the Detroit Lions. 

Staley will be the Lions' assistant head coach and running backs coach -- the same positions he held with the Eagles.

The former Philly running back has been an assistant coach with the Eagles for 10 years, through three different coaching regimes. He started as an assistant under Andy Reid, and remained on the staffs of Chip Kelly and Doug Pederson, where he grew to become a respected presence in the locker room.

But Staley was reportedly ready for a change of scenery after being passed over by the Eagles for their vacant head coaching job. Philadelphia hired former Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni late last week. 

Once Sirianni's hiring became official, reports out of Philadelphia on Sunday indicated that Staley asked the team to release him from his contract so that he could move on.

Staley interviewed twice with the Eagles for the head coaching job and was passed over both times.

A popular figure in Philadelphia throughout his playing and coaching career, Staley joined the Eagles in 1997 when the team made him their third-round draft pick. He spent seven seasons with the Eagles before signing a free-agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2004. He won a Super Bowl with Pittsburgh in 2005.

He retired from the NFL in 2007 after racking up 5,785 career rushing yards, 2,587 receiving yards, and 34 total touchdowns.

Staley joined the Eagles' coaching staff under Reid as an intern in 2010, and became the team's special teams quality control coach in 2011. After Reid left, Staley became the Eagles' running backs coach under Kelly, a position he maintained after Kelly's firing and the arrival of Pederson.

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