The Los Angeles Chargers kicked off the offseason by hiring Jim Harbaugh as head coach and Joe Hortiz as general manager. Now, Harbaugh is quickly putting together a Chargers coaching staff for 2024 that should have this team well-positioned for a quick turnaround.
Recognized as one of the best head coaches in the NFL, Harbaugh isn’t having much trouble pulling in well-regarded assistants and coordinators to his staff. With so many new faces joining the organization, here’s a little background on some of the newest members of Harbaugh’s coaching staff.
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Let us introduce you to the Chargers coaching staff in 2024.
Los Angeles Chargers coaching staff: Jim Harbaugh’s coaching tree
Jesse Minter – Defensive Coordinator
The first addition made to the Chargers coaching staff by Harbaugh was Michigan Wolverines defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. The 40-year-old Arkansas native began his coaching career in 2006 as a graduate assistant with Notre Dame, learning under Charlies Weis and his father Rick Minter.
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Jesse then became a graduate assistant for the Cincinnati Bearcats, learning the ropes from Brian Kelly for two seasons. After stints with Indiana State (2009-’12, linebackers coach and defensive coordinator) Minter served as defensive coordinator for Georgia State (2013-’16). In 2017, he made the jump to the NFL as a defensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens.
Minter’s tenure in Baltimore had a strong influence on his defenses today. He worked his way up from defensive assistant (2017-’18) to assistant defensive backs coach (2019) before taking on the full-time role in 2020. Over that four-season span, he got a first-hand look at film study and creating defensive game plans from a coaching staff that included Dean Pees, Don “Wink” Martindale, Mike Macdonald, Chris Hewitt and Anthony Weaver. After Harbaugh hired him as Michigan’s defensive coordinator, the unit thrived.
| PPG Allowed | Total YPG Allowed | Sack Rate | Yards per Rush allowed | 3rd Down rate | |
| 2022 | 16.1 (6th) | 292.1 (5th) | 7.47% (33rd) | 3.3 (9th) | 33.84% (22nd) |
| 2023 | 10.4 (1st) | 247.1 (1st) | 8.61% (13th) | 3.0 (7th) | 29.08% |
It’s also worth recognizing that in Minter’s lone season as the Ravens’ defensive backs coach, Baltimore had the sixth-best Dropback EPA allowed (0.022), ranked ninth in Dropback Success Rate (47.2 percent) and allowed the fewest yards per pass attempt (6.4) in the NFL. His addition should prove especially beneficial for Derwin James Jr and Asanet Samuel Jr. moving forward.
Greg Roman – Role Unknown (Potential OC or Run Game Coordinator)
The most controversial addition to the Chargers coaching staff in 2024 is Greg Roman. As of Feb. 5, it’s unclear exactly what role he will be serving for Harbaugh. Whether it’s as the Chargers offensive coordinator or a run-game coordinator, his background is still worth revisiting.
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Before being named NFL Assistant Coach of the Year in 2019 for his work with the Ravens’ offense, helping Lamar Jackson earn his first MVP, Roman bounced around the league. The 51-year-old served as an offensive line assistant (Carolina Panthers, 1995-2001), tight ends and quarterbacks coach (Houston Texans (2002-’05) and an offensive line assistant in Baltimore (2006-’07).
After calling plays for Atlantic City High School in 2008, Roman joined Harbaugh’s coaching staff at Stanford as associate head coach (2009-’10). He then followed him to the San Francisco 49ers as offensive coordinator (2011-’14), later serving in the same role with the Buffalo Bills (2015-’16).
| PPG | Yards per Play | Red Zone TD rate | 3rd Down success | Rush Play rate | |
| 2015 | 23.7 (12th) | 5.7 (6th) | 50% (24th) | 37.89% (19th) | 50.1% (1st) |
| 2016 | 24.9 (10th) | 5.6 (14th) | 64.81% (6th) | 40.95% (13th) | 48.62% (1st) |
| 2019 | 31.9 (1st) | 6.1 (3rd) | 64.71% (4th) | 48.29% (1st) | 54.07% (1st) |
| 2020 | 27.3 (9th) | 5.8 (10th) | 59.09% (15th) | 48.52% (2nd) | 55.04% (1st) |
| 2021 | 22.8 (17th) | 5.4 (18th) | 60.71% (14th) | 36.44% (25th) | 43.63% (11th) |
| 2022 | 20.4 (20th) | 5.5 (12th) | 44.44% (30th) | 41.05% (12th) | 50.18% (3rd) |
It’s obvious why Harbaugh wanted Roman on his coaching staff. Michigan finished the 2023 season with the 17th highest rushing rate (59.57 percent) in the FBS last season, 10th among Power 5 teams, so Roman’s background and play-calling preferences make him a perfect fit.
Marcus Brady — Passing Game Coordinator
While Harbaugh will work closely with quarterback Justin Herbert, Los Angeles is also putting experienced minds around him. Marcus Brady, a San Diego native, is joining the Chargers coaching staff as the team’s passing game coordinator.
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Brady, 44, began his coaching career with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL as a wide receivers coach (2009-’11) and was then promoted to offensive coordinator. He later held the same role for the Toronto Argonauts (2013-’17) before heading to the NFL.
He became the Indianapolis Colts assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019, working on a staff that included Frank Reich and Nick Sirianni. After being promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2020, working one-on-one with Jacoby Brissett and Philip Rivers, Brady also had the chance to work with Jerrod Johnson, an up-and-coming NFL coaching candidate with the Houston Texans.
Indianapolis elevated Brady to offensive coordinator in 2021, but he was not the Colts’ play-caller. Despite that, he was fired by the team in November 2022 because the offense was struggling. In the last two seasons, he’s worked for the Philadelphia Eagles as an offensive consultant and assistant, overlapping with current Colts’ head coach Shane Steichen.
Mike Devlin — Offensive Line Coach
The man in charge of improving the Chargers offensive line in 2024 and potentially beyond is Mike Devlin. While he doesn’t have direct ties to Jim Harbaugh, Devlin has worked with both John Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz in Baltimore.
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Devlin, 54, was a fifth-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft. An Iowa Hawkeyes alum, he played in the NFL from 1993-’99 with the Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals. Immediately after retiring, Arizona hired him as an assistant offensive line coach and he held that role through 2003, later becoming Toledo’s offensive line coach (2004-’05).
He returned to the NFL in 2006, serving as the New York Jets tight ends coach for Eric Mangini and Brian Schottenheimer. During his tenure in York (2006-’14) working with the tight ends and offensive line, Devlin was retained by Rex Ryan after Mangini was fired. He then became the Texans’ offensive line coach (2015-’20) before working under the Ravens’ offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris, who is one of the best OL coaches in the NFL.
Ben Herbert — Strength & Conditioning Coach
While strength and conditioning coaches don’t get a ton of fanfare, Ben Herbert is the exception. He was the million-dollar man for the Michigan Wolverines thanks to Harbaugh, proving to have earned every dollar of his $1 million annual salary.
With player development being so crucial at the collegiate level, Herbert helped 95 players become NFL Draft picks during his career with 12 of those being first-round picks. Michigan credited Herbert heavily with helping turn 22 of their players into NFL selections, not including the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft class.
As for what Chargers’ players can expect FOX Sports detailed Herbert’s “Key Performance Indicators that is part of his philosophy as a strength coach and a teacher. Those indicators are separated into four groups – flexibility and mobility; strength and power; agility and speed. The categories are further split into the exercises, lifts or movements most closely associated with each classification – which are calculated to create a neutral assessment of an athlete’s physical capability. For a franchise that has been decimated by injuries seemingly every season, Herbert’s system should be one critical step toward fixing the problem.