Bears would target assistant Duce Staley if Eagles grant release request

Eagles running backs coach and assistant head coach Duce Staley has asked to be released from his contract, a source confirmed Sunday.

Eagles running backs coach and assistant head coach Duce Staley has asked to be released from his contract, a source confirmed Sunday.

If Eagles ownership grants his request, the Bears plan to target him. They need to replace running backs coach Charles London after he left to become the Falcons’ quarterbacks coach last week. The Bears, who would have competition from other teams assembling their staffs, could also offer Staley an assistant head coach title.

Staley is familiar with both Bears head coach Matt Nagy and his offensive scheme. Doug Pederson, the former Eagles head coach, comes from the same Andy Reid coaching tree; his offense was more similar to Nagy’s than any other in the league.

Staley and Nagy worked for the Eagles together as low-level assistants. Staley was an Eagles coaching intern in 2010, a special teams quality control coach from 2011-12 and has been the running backs coach since 2013. The Eagles added the title of assistant head coach three years ago. Nagy was an Eagles training camp intern in 2008 and 2009, coaching assistant in 2010 and offensive quality control coach from 2011-12.

Staley played running back in Philadelphia for seven years and in Pittsburgh for three more. He’s been a popular assistant coach. When he interviewed for the team’s head coaching job earlier this month, Eagles players reportedly texted ownership with their support for Staley’s candidacy. Thursday, though, the Eagles named Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni their head coach.