The San Francisco 49ers visit the New Orleans Saints in Week 2, and while the bulk of storylines center around the Niners' growing rash of injuries and how Mac Jones will fill in at quarterback for Brock Purdy, an under-the-radar storyline deserves at least a modest bit of attention.
A year ago, San Francisco entered the season on its third defensive coordinator in as many years, Nick Sorensen. Considered somewhat inexperienced for the new role, head coach Kyle Shanahan opted to add former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley to his staff, serving as an assistant to Sorensen on that side of the ball.
Unfortunately for both Sorensen and Staley, the 49ers' well-documented defensive struggles over the course of 2024 ultimately led to both coaches' dismissals once the season concluded.
Sorensen opted to join the Dallas Cowboys as their special teams coordinator, whereas Staley headed out to NOLA to join first-year head coach Kellen Moore as part of a rebuilding Saints squad.
Staley won't have to wait long to enact some possible vengeance against his former employer, and the Niners' injury-plagued context affords him a better opportunity to do so.
Week 2 offers Brandon Staley vengeance against 49ers
Granted, one doesn't know if Staley harbors any grudges against Shanahan or San Francisco. Likely not, since the 49ers head coach has been nothing but complimentary toward the defensive mastermind.
Prior to re-onboarding Robert Saleh, Shanahan even considered Staley for his defensive coordinator in 2025.
Still, the chance of going up against a previous employer always allows for some extra motivation, and Staley should have no shortage of that in Sunday's proverbial chess match against Shanahan, who might be playing with a depleted hand amid all his team's injuries.
Of note, Staley's own New Orleans defense held the Arizona Cardinals to a mere 276 total yards (130 passing and 146 rushing) while forcing the red birds to average just 4.5 yards per play while sacking quarterback Kyler Murray five times.
It's not necessarily the kind of defensive output one might expect from the lowly Saints, especially in a 20-13 loss, but it does illustrate the potential for Staley's side of the ball to heavily influence the outcome of Sunday's contest.
Staley would love nothing more than for his defense to wholly frustrate Shanahan's offense when the two teams kick off on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. ET.