Brandon Staley was the Chargers’ guy all along

[Billy Buffalo]

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Last week, both ESPN and the Orange County Register reported that Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll had emerged as the favorite to become the next coach of the Chargers. That was, we now know, not the case.

The Chargers have hired former Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Staley always was the guy.

The source added that the reporting regarding Daboll came as a surprise, not because Daboll wasn’t a top candidate but because the job would always be Staley’s if/when the parties could strike an agreement at the appropriate time.

The fact that Daboll and G.M. Tom Telesco went to the same high school seemed to fuel the narrative. And Daboll was indeed in the mix. But Staley was, and now is, the guy.

The fact that the Rams lost this weekend and the Bills won had nothing to do with the decision. If the Rams had beaten the Packers and if the Bills had lost to the Ravens, the Chargers would have waited.