The Los Angeles Chargers staff seems close to complete as Jim Harbaugh collects names from his past.
“Familiarity” might be a better way to phrase the Los Angeles Chargers staff hires. I am not necessarily familiar with LA, but I know how they tie into Jim Harbaugh’s past.
On February 14th, Jim Harbaugh officially hired Mike Elston, former Defensive Line coach for the Michigan Wolverines. There are now ten current LA Charger staff members who have worked in some capacity with Harbaugh (or his brother) before.
Jim Harbaugh’s Staff Bleeds Blue
When Jim decided to return to the NFL, he needed to bring a few “Michigan Men” with him. After the Mike Elston hire on February 14th, the Charger staff now includes four former Michigan Wolverine staff members.
Jesse Minter is moving from the Defensive Coordinator of the Michigan Wolverines to the same role for the Los Angeles Chargers. He allowed only 10.4 points per game as the DC for the Wolverines, so the Charger fanbase is hoping for a similar result. Jesse’s dad, Rick, will also join the Defensive Analyst staff.
Steve Clinkscale is heading to LA from Ann Arbor as well. He has been the secondary coach for Michigan for the past 3 seasons. He will fill the same role for the Chargers.
Dylan Rooney will be a Defensive Assistant for Los Angeles. In the previous seasons, he was a graduate assistant for Michigan for the last 3 years.
As previously mentioned, Mike Elston will be on staff as the Defensive Line Coach. Mike has coached for 27 years and the last 2 years for Harbaugh.
Jim Harbaugh and the Good Ole Days
Jim Harbaugh coached for the 49ers from 2011 to 2014. He had a record of 44-19-1 while he resided as the head coach. There shouldn’t be much curiosity about why he wants to replicate that.
Greg Roman was the offensive coordinator for Harbaugh during their time with the San Francisco 49ers. Greg then worked for the Harbaugh brother, John, from 2019-2022 and the Baltimore Ravens.
Navorro Bowman is a familiar face from the 49ers, but not in the same role. Bowman played Linebacker for Harbaugh and led the NFL in tackles in 2015. He was a defensive assistant at Maryland last season.
Sanjay Lal will jump in as the Los Angeles Chargers Wide Receiver coach. His connection isn’t with Harbaugh but instead with Greg Roman. Roman and Lal worked together on the Buffalo Bills offensive staff.
The Other Harbaugh
A few names haven’t worked for Jim Harbaugh, but rather his brother, John. These names were floated around at the Harbaugh family gatherings.
Andy Bischoff has 2 connections to the staff. One is John Harbaugh. The other is Marc Trestman. Marc is the Senior Offensive Assistant for the Chargers and brings on Andy as the Tight Ends coach/Run Game Coordinator. Marc gave Andy his first shot in the NFL in 2013, so the connection stayed strong.
Mike Devlin is a former Big Ten player, but with the Iowa Hawkeyes, He was an assistant for John Harbaugh the past year. He now moves into the lead role with the Offensive Line as he stays connected to the Harbaugh family.
Once a Charger, always a Charger
One of the most significant decisions Jim Harbaugh had to make was the retention of Ryan Ficken as the Special Teams Coordinator. Many regard him as one of the league’s best. The Chargers even went out of their way to block others from interviewing him for the same role on other teams within the league.
“Although it seems like the Bolts are brand new everywhere, they retained their best coordinator from the past handful of seasons, special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken.
Ficken was the catalyst for the Bolts’ great special teams. He’ll look to continue that momentum with the new changes. The Athletics Dani Popper views Fickens’ stay as one of the best coaching staff moves this off-season.” – Ricardo Sandoval, SI.com.
Chris Gould will remain on as well. He is Ficken’s assistant special teams coach.
Shane Day also returns to the Chargers, not for Harbaugh, but for Justin Herbert. The star quarterback has had positive comments about Day in the past. He spent the last year as a Senior Offensive Assistant for the Texans and returned to the Chargers after a year away.
Nick Hardwick will jump from Chargers legend to an Assistant Offensive Line coach. The Chargers faithful are very excited about this hiring.
Los Angeles Chargers Full Staff
Offense: Offensive coordinator Greg Roman; passing game coordinator Marcus Brady; run game coordinator/tight ends coach Andy Bischoff; quarterbacks coach Shane Day; offensive line coach Mike Devlin; wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal; senior offensive assistant Marc Trestman
Defense: Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter; linebackers coach NaVorro Bowman; defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale; defensive line coach Mike Elston; safeties coach Chris O’Leary; senior defensive analyst Rick Minter; defensive quality control coach Robert Muschamp; defensive assistant Dylan Roney
Special teams: Special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken; assistant special teams coach Chris Gould
Read More:
Los Angeles Chargers Hire Former Controversial Bears Head Coach
Los Angeles Chargers Jim Harbaugh to hire Greg Roman as Offensive Coordinator
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