I saw something very different with DA. In 2021 when DA took over the team the defense was still good. Starting in 2022 we started letting front 7 talent go. Also the Dline scheme changed (Cam Jordan spoke on this). The evidence and the way things played out tells me DA thought he could operate a good defense based on coverage sacks. Losing Onyemata really, really put a giant hamper on our run defense. It basically no longer existed.
Now I can't say anything about Bowles. But Staley was very different then DA. Staley incorrectly schemed and play called. His defense was always one step behind offenses. I didn't see that with DA. I saw a terrible philosophy of focus only on making the secondary better to the sacrifice of front 7. That wasn't Staley's problem. His entire defense sucked at every level from start to finish because his scheme was over complicated and the play calling was always one step behind offensive play calling. Herbert and Ekeler were his saving grace, keeping clock possession as much as possible. But theres only so much an offense could do to protect the defense. If the offense had failed often we might've seen one of the worst defenses statistically in the history of the NFL. Yes. It was that bad.