Coach Jim Harbaugh made sweeping changes to the Chargers’ staff, announcing the additions and subtractions on Wednesday. Special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken and his assistant, Chris Gould, and defensive quality control coach Robert Muschamp are the only holdovers from the 2023 season.
Giff Smith, the Chargers’ outside linebackers coach who became their interim coach after Brandon Staley was fired along with General Manager Tom Telesco on Dec. 15, wasn’t retained. Smith had been with the Chargers for the past eight seasons, coaching their linebackers and defensive linemen.
Harbaugh was hired on Jan. 24, after leading the University of Michigan to the national championship earlier in the month.
Andy Bischoff was named the coordinator of the running game and tight ends, joining the Chargers from the New York Giants after two seasons. NaVorro Bowman, a former All-Pro linebacker with the San Francisco 49ers while Harbaugh was the coach, was hired as the new linebackers coach.
Steve Clinkscale will be the new coach of the defensive backs after spending the past three seasons with Harbaugh at Michigan. Shane Day returns to the Chargers as their quarterbacks coach, reunited with Justin Herbert after spending this past season with the Houston Texans.
Mike Devlin will coach the offensive line after spending the past two seasons as an assistant line coach with the Baltimore Ravens under Harbaugh’s older brother, John. Mike Elston will coach the defensive line after spending the past two seasons with Michigan, his alma mater.
Sanjay Lal will coach the wide receivers after he was the Seattle Seahawks’ passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach for the past two seasons. Rick Minter joins the Chargers as their senior defensive analyst from Michigan. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is his son.
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Chris O’Leary was hired to coach the safeties after six seasons at Notre Dame, including the past two as the Fighting Irish’s defensive backs coach. Dylan Roney, a graduate assistant coach at Michigan for three seasons, will be a defensive assistant coach with the Chargers.
Marc Trestman, a former coach of the Chicago Bears and two CFL teams who most recently was the offensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens in 2016, was named the Chargers’ senior offensive assistant. Harbaugh’s first coaching job was as an assistant on Trestman’s staff with the Bears.
