The Los Angeles Chargers were thought to have their favorite candidate in Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll but on Sunday night, the team hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley according to multiple reports.
Reports on Saturday morning went so far as to indicate that the Chargers would wait for Daboll as long as it took for Buffalo’s season to end. With Buffalo’s Saturday night win, Daboll wouldn’t have been able to interview again until after the AFC Championship Game and potentially not be hired until after the Super Bowl if Buffalo won next week.
Daboll and Chargers general manager Tom Telesco went to high school together and both have the same agent, which had fueled speculation from the start of the search process. The fact that Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has been favorably compared to Bills QB Josh Allen also drove expectations that Daboll would be the guy to take Herbert’s game to the next level like he did for the Bills and Allen.
After a wild weekend, only two openings remain and while Daboll has been rumored at both locations, he hasn’t interviewed for either club. The Houston Texans interviewed Bills’ defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Leslie Frazier on Sunday and are still in the middle of their process, which has been complicated by the organization’s lack of communication with star QB Deshaun Watson. The Philadelphia Eagles have interviewed a handful of candidates so far and are taking their time replacing Doug Pederson.