NFC East Notes: Eagles, Staley, Cowboys

Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley enjoys his job, but he also feels that he is ready to get a chance to be an offensive coordinator somewhere. “Yeah, definitely,” Staley told CSNPhilly.com’s Reuben Frank.

“You never know how that works for you. I do know that you wait on those opportunities and hopefully those chances will come. If not, I love what I’m doing. Can’t say anything bad about what I’m doing. I love it. That’s when you know it’s not a job…I live vicariously through my players, still, to this day. I catch them out there running and making moves and I catch my knees shaking a little bit, I’m making the move with them. You can’t replace that feeling.”

Staley started out on Andy Reid‘s staff and was promoted to RB coach under Chip Kelly. He kept that job under Doug Pederson, making him the only coach to be a part of all three coaching regimes in Philly. Since Staley became the Eagles’ running backs coach in 2013, the Eagles have posted the fifth-most rushing yards in the NFL (8,114). Staley certainly has a strong resume to work with if he gets calls for OC jobs next offseason.

More from the NFC East:

• If Dak Prescott were to suffer an injury that keeps him out of action for a serious stretch of time, the Cowboys could be motivated to go shopping for a quarterback, Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News writes. Cowboys coaches continue to sing the praises of Kellen Moore, saying that they have confidence in his football IQ and ability to lead the team. However, he has played in just three games as he enters his sixth season in the league. If the Cowboys have to forge on without Prescott for some reason, they may want to go for a more dynamic quarterback with more on-field experience.
• More from Hairopoulos, who wonders if Alfred Morris‘ roster spot with the Cowboys may actually be in jeopardy. Morris, of course, offers serious veteran talent behind Ezekiel Elliott and Darren McFadden, but his inability to really contribute on special teams can hurt him. Earlier in the offseason, exec Stephen Jones said that “in a perfect world,” your third running back would be helping out in the third facet of the game. So far, we’ve heard positive talk about undrafted free agent Jahad Thomas and he could theoretically wind up as the team’s No. 3 running back. Then again, if Elliott winds up getting suspended by the the league office, the Cowboys may not be willing to lose a runner of Morris’ caliber.
• One surprising factor could steer Kirk Cousins towards staying with the Redskins long term.
• The Giants are not prioritizing a new deal for star Odell Beckham Jr.