Brandon Staley breaks down what drew the Chargers to hiring Kellen Moore

Five months after hiring Kellen Moore as his offensive coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley is as sure as ever that he made the right pick.

On the Rich Eisen Show this week, Staley broke down all the reasons he was drawn to Moore during the hiring process and how the former Cowboys OC is performing so far.

“Number one, it’s been fantastic to team up with Kellen from a culture standpoint, from a leadership standpoint,” Staley said. “Anyone that knows Kellen, you know, son of a coach, a great high school coach, played at Boise State for Chris Peterson and played in the NFL for some great coaches – Jim Caldwell, Jason Garrett – and he’s been around a lot of ball.”

“As a coordinator, you know, me having to defend this guy, I just know how special he is and to be able to team up every day with him as a coach before we get to the Xs and Os, that’s been a highlight for me,” Staley continued. “He’s been great for the staff, both he and Doug Nussmeier, have been really fantastic for our staff.

“He’s just the type of guy that can go into a game plan and you know that he’s going to bring out the best in your players. I love the way that he makes the game simple for our players. His production speaks for itself as a play-caller.”

Kellen Moore off to strong start with Chargers

Although the Cowboys had one of the top offenses in the league last season, Mike McCarthy opted to part ways with Kellen Moore after their second-round playoff loss to the 49ers. McCarthy blamed their “philosophical differences” for their split and ultimately decided to take over play-calling for himself.

Moore took over the Dallas Cowboys offense in 2019, leading the team to top six finishes in points per game in three of four seasons as offensive coordinator. The Cowboys also finished No. 1 in yards per game in 2021 and 2019.

Now, instead of coaching up Dak Prescott, Moore will be working with 2020 first-round draft pick Justin Herbert. Herbert recently underwent surgery for a torn labrum but his return timeline puts him back on the field in time for training camp.

Following the Chargers’ flame out of the playoffs with a loss to the Jaguars, Staley moved on from coordinator Joe Lombardi and quarterbacks coach Shane Day. He quickly hired Moore and Nussmeier, hoping to recreate some of their point-scoring magic from Dallas in L.A.