The Los Angeles Chargers quickly swooped in and hired Kellen Moore as their new offensive coordinator in the wake of him being dismissed by the Dallas Cowboys.
Moore, who ran Dallas’ offense for four seasons, replaces Joe Lombardi after he was fired in the wake of the Chargers’ stunning second-half collapse in their AFC playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After the Cowboys were recently eliminated in the NFC divisional round, Moore was deemed a liability despite Dallas finishing fourth in the NFL in scoring average (26.8 points per game) and fifth (52) in offensive touchdowns.
Moore, 33, will not only be trusted with the development of standout Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, but he’ll also be tasked in resurrecting a running attack which ranked 30th in averaging 89.6 yards per game.
Chargers head coach Brandon Staley is seeking an offense which mimics those employed by the L.A. Rams and San Francisco 49ers, where the rushing game eventually helps spring chunk plays through the air.
The Cowboys won two NFC East titles and advanced to the playoffs in three seasons during Moore’s tenure.
From 2018-22 with Moore at the helm, Dallas was second in the NFL in total offense (391 yards per game) and scoring (27.2 points per game). It had the fourth-best passing offense (264 yards per game) and ranked No. 7 in rushing offense (126.6 yards per game).
The Chargers were No. 10 last season in averaging 22.47 points per game, despite injuries to wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
Herbert was also compromised by a rib cartilage injury, but he still threw for 25 touchdowns, with 10 interceptions, as he passed Andrew Luck for the most passing yards (14,089 ) over the first three seasons of a player’s career.
Herbert underwent surgery this week on his left (non-throwing) shoulder to repair a torn labrum and he’s expected to be ready for L.A.’s offseason sessions in the spring.
With Moore coming aboard, he’ll be Herbert’s third offensive coordinator in his four NFL seasons.
The Chargers conducted four other interviews for the opening, but they quickly struck a deal with Moore within 24 hours after Dallas somewhat surprisingly pointed him toward the door.
There remains one more position to be filled on offense after L.A. let go of quarterbacks coach Shane Day.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jayparis/2023/01/30/los-angeles-chargers-pounce-on-offensive-coordinator-kellen-moore-after-his-dismissal-by-the-dallas-cowboys/