Philadelphia

Duce Staley Interviews for Eagles' Head Coaching Job

When the Eagles fired Chip Kelly with a week left to go in the regular season, Jeff Lurie said he wanted to get a jump on the coaching search.

It looks like that jump began inside the building.

The Eagles on Saturday confirmed that they interviewed running backs coach Duce Staley for the head coaching vacancy on Friday.

ESPN's Ed Werder first reported the news.

Staley has been on the team's coaching staff since 2011. Chip Kelly kept Staley on board and made him running backs coach when he was hired in 2013. Before that, he was an assistant special teams coach. He's the only coach who has been on the staff since 2011.

When owner Jeff Lurie held his press conference on Wednesday, he outlined what he was looking for in the next head coach. He said he wanted a "smart, strategic thinker," someone who interacts well with everyone he works with, someone who understands Philadelphia, someone who pays attention to detail and someone with "emotional intelligence." Staley seems to check most of those boxes, but he's a little light in coaching experience.

Staley, 40, played for the Eagles from 1997-2003. He rushed for over 1,000 yards three times as an Eagle.

By interviewing Staley, it appears the Eagles have satisfied the NFL's Rooney Rule, which mandates teams must interview at least one minority for head coaching vacancies.

This season, the running back rotation in Philadelphia garnered big headlines. Kelly continually said Staley was in charge of the rotation.

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