Allen Park, Mich. – The Detroit Lions announced today the following updates to the coaching staff:
DUCE STALEY – ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/RUNNING BACKS
Staley joins Detroit as the team's assistant head coach/running backs coach in 2021. This marks his 11th season as an NFL coach following a 10-year stint (2011-20) with the Philadelphia Eagles in various roles. After joining the Eagles as a special teams quality control coach in 2011-12, he took over the running backs in 2013 and added the assistant coach title in 2018. In his eight seasons overseeing Philadelphia's running backs, the Eagles produced the seventh-most rushing yards (15,765) and seventh-highest rushing average (4.40) in the NFL in that span. He helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LII and capture three NFC East division titles and four playoff appearances in his tenure. Prior to coaching, Staley enjoyed a 10-year playing career at running back with the Eagles (1997-2003) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2004-06), where he won Super Bowl XL. A native of West Columbia, S.C., he was selected by the Eagles in the third-round of the 1997 NFL Draft (71st overall) out of South Carolina.
MARK BRUNELL – QUARTERBACKS
Brunell joins the Lions as the team's quarterbacks coach in 2021. After being selected by the Packers in the fifth round (118th overall) of 1993 NFL Draft out of Washington, he played 19 seasons (1993-2011) with Green Bay, Jacksonville, Washington, New Orleans and the New York Jets. He appeared in 193 career games (151 starts) and totaled 32,072 passing yards and 184 passing touchdowns along with 2,421 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. Following his playing career, Brunell served as a high school head coach at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville, worked as a sports analyst on WJXT in Jacksonville and mentored quarterbacks at the NFL Combine. A native of Los Angeles, Calif., he is married to his wife, Stacy, and has four children.
MARK DeLEONE – INSIDE LINEBACKERS
DeLeone enters his 10th season as an NFL coach and first as the Lions' inside linebackers coach in 2021. He spent the past two seasons (2019-20) as the inside linebackers coach for the Chicago Bears. Prior to his stint with the Bears, he spent six seasons (2013-18) with the Kansas City Chiefs, serving as a defensive quality control coach from 2013-14, assistant linebackers coach from 2015-17 and inside linebackers coach in 2018. His first NFL position was as a defensive assistant with the New York Jets in 2012. Prior to joining New York, he spent the 2011 season as a graduate assistant at Temple and spent 2010 as a quality control coach under Urban Meyer at Florida. His first post-graduate position was as the director of football operations/assistant offensive line coach at New Hampshire in 2009. A native of Syracuse, N.Y., DeLeone served as a defensive student assistant under Kirk Ferentz at Iowa from 2007-08 before graduating from the school in 2009.
