Chargers Hire Chris O’Leary As DC
The Chargers have found their replacement for Jesse Minter. Western Michigan defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary has accepted the same position on Jim Harbaugh‘s staff, per a team announcement.
O’Leary, 34, previously worked under Harbaugh and Minter as the Chargers’ safeties coach in 2024. As Western Michigan’s defensive coordinator, he took the nation’s 107th-ranked defense and built them into a top-10 unit in just one season. After a year of play-calling experience, O’Leary will return to Los Angeles hoping to fill Minter’s shoes after he took a head coaching job with the Ravens.
O’Leary’s recent experience with the Chargers should make for an easy transition into his new role. He will run a similar scheme to Minter and is already familiar with the roster and coaching staff. The latter may not require much turnover with such a plug-and-play hire, though the team’s defensive assistants who did not get this promotion may get defensive coordinator offers from other teams.
Though O’Leary will be working under Harbaugh, his coaching lineage is closer to his predecessor’s. Minter and O’Leary have a long history together, starting at Indiana State. The two overlapped for three years (2010-2012) with Minter serving as the Sycamores’ defensive coordinator and O’Leary playing wide receiver. Minter became Georgia State’s defensive coordinator in 2013 and, two years later, gave O’Leary his first coaching job as a graduate assistant.
They parted ways in 2017 with Minter heading to Baltimore for his first stint with the Ravens and O’Leary joining Brian Kelly‘s staff at Notre Dame. After Marcus Freeman took over as the Fighting Irish’s defensive coordinator, O’Leary was promoted to safeties coach, where he worked closely with pass game coordinator Mike Mickens. (Mickens recently agreed to join Minter’s staff in Baltimore in the same role.)
Minter then brought O’Leary to Los Angeles. He worked closely with Derwin James, taking the already-versatile safety and moving him around the field more than ever before. The 2024 season represented somewhat of a resurgence for five-time Pro Bowler after a down year in 2023, at least by his usual standards. With more time closer to the line of scrimmage, James led all defensive backs with 5.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss, both career-highs. He also broke up seven passes and allowed just 5.2 yards per target. James stayed in a similar role in 2025 and had another strong season, earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro recognition for the second year in a row.
O’Leary will be looking to uphold the standard he helped established in 2024. The Chargers have been one of the best defenses in the league in the last two years, allowing just under 19 points and just over 300 yards per game. They have a number of key pending free agents and may not have enough cap room to retain them all, especially if they invest in their offensive line as expected. Minter had a knack for getting the most out of his players – youngsters and veterans alike – and O’Leary’s impressive year at Western Michigan suggests that he may have similar talents.
The only potential knock on O’Leary is his inexperience. 2024 was his first year in the NFL, and 2025 was his first as a play-caller, making 2026 a big leap for a third year in a row. He passed the first two tests with flying colors, so he certainly seems capable of running the Chargers’ defense, but there may still be some first-year jitters as O’Leary settles into the role.
Chargers To Hire OL Coach Butch Barry
The Chargers are starting to fill out Mike McDaniel‘s offensive staff, starting with his offensive line coach.
Butch Barry, who spent the last three years as the Dolphins’ offensive line coach, will take up the same position in Los Angeles, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. Barry previously worked with McDaniel as the 49ers’ assistant offensive line coach during McDaniel’s final season in San Francisco
In Miami, Barry worked closely with left tackle Patrick Paul and center Aaron Brewer in Miami, with both making noticeable improvements from 2024 to 2025, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Before that, he served as the Broncos’ offensive line coach in 2023 after a two-year stint in San Francisco.
Barry is replacing veteran offensive line coach Mike Devlin, who worked with the Jets’, Texans’ and Ravens’ offensive lines. Devlin worked under Greg Roman in Baltimore in 2022 and joined his staff in Los Angeles in 2024. The Chargers had one of the best tackle duos in the NFL in 2024, but when both Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt suffered season-ending injuries this past season, the rest of the O-line was badly exposed. The interior spots – primarily held by Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, and Mekhi Becton – were already shaky, and losing the best bookends in the league proved too much to recover from. The Chargers allowed 60 sacks, the second-most of any team in 2025, and Justin Herbert suffered a few injuries as a result.
Barry will be tasked with improving the unit, which may prove difficult right away. The Chargers have not provided a timeline for Slater’s return, but the severity of his injury – a torn patellar tendon – could put his availability for 2026 in doubt. Alt’s timeline is similarly unclear, but his recovery from surgery to repair a high ankle sprain should not take as long. Alt can hold down the blind side until Slater gets back on the field, but Los Angeles will still need a right tackle during that period. They could also change out multiple interior offensive linemen – potentially all three – which will require Barry to identify and coach up replacements who fit in McDaniel’s scheme.
Chargers Interview Chris O’Leary For DC Job
Jim Harbaugh is once again considering a familiar face for his defensive coordinator vacancy. The Chargers announced this evening that they’ve interviewed Chris O’Leary for the role.
Unlike some of the other familiar candidates for the job, O’Leary wasn’t on the Chargers staff in 2025. Rather, he was on Harbaugh’s inaugural staff in Los Angeles, where the assistant served as the Chargers safeties coach. During that 2024 campaign, O’Leary guided a safeties group that led the NFL in sacks (6.5) and finished fifth in interceptions (nine). As Omar Navarro of the team’s website notes, the Chargers safeties also allowed a 75.9 passer rating when targeted, which was good for third at the position in the NFL.
He left to become the defensive coordinator at Western Michigan in 2025. During his one season at the school, O’Leary led a defense that ranked second in the Mid-American Conference in total defense (17.4 points per game). That mark also ranked ninth in all of FBS.
Other than his one-season stint on the Chargers coaching staff, all of O’Leary’s coaching experience has come in the college game. He got his first gig at Georgia State before being named the safeties coach at Florida Tech in 2017. After one year in that role, he left for Notre Dame, where he ended up spending six seasons. During his time with the Fighting Irish, O’Leary worked his way up from a defensive analyst to defensive backs coach.
Since Jesse Minter left to become the Ravens head coach, Harbaugh has considered a handful of internal candidates for the DC job. That includes safeties coach Adam Fuller, who replaced O’Leary in the role this past season. The full list of candidates includes:
- Steve Clinkscale, defensive backs coach (Chargers): Interviewed 1/26
- Adam Fuller, safeties coach (Chargers): Interviewed 1/26
- Jim Leonhard, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Interviewed 1/28
- Zach Orr, defensive coordinator (Ravens): Interviewed 1/23
- Aubrey Pleasant, pass-game coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/24
- Dylan Roney, outside linebackers coach (Chargers): Interviewed 1/26
- Dennard Wilson, former defensive coordinator (Titans): Interviewed 1/23
Chargers Request DC Interview With Broncos’ Jim Leonhard
As they continue searching for a successor to former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, the Chargers have requested an interview with Broncos assistant head coach/pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
If Leonhard interviews with the Chargers, he’ll become the seventh candidate to discuss their D-coordinator position since Minter became the Ravens’ head coach on Jan. 22. Minter earned a promotion after two stellar years in Los Angeles. Under his leadership, the Chargers’ defense finished top 10 in the NFL in scoring twice in a row, including No. 1 in 2024, and fifth in yards allowed in 2025.
Leonhard doesn’t have any professional experience as a coordinator, but he held the role at Wisconsin from 2017-22. Since leaving the college ranks, the former NFL defensive back has garnered two years’ experience on Denver’s staff. He began as the Broncos’ defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator in 2024.
While the Broncos ranked a below-average 19th in pass defense a season ago, cornerback Patrick Surtain II earned Defensive Player of the Year honors on Leonhard’s watch. The Broncos improved to seventh against the pass in 2025, but they couldn’t get past the Patriots in the AFC title game despite holding quarterback Drake Maye to 86 yards in inclement weather.
With the Broncos’ season over, Leonhard could head elsewhere for a promotion in the coming days. The 43-year-old interviewed with the Cowboys and Jets for defensive coordinator earlier this month, though Dallas has since filled its job with the hiring of Christian Parker. The Bills are also expected to pursue Leonhard, but they haven’t requested an interview yet.
Here’s a look at where the Chargers’ DC search stands:
- Steve Clinkscale, defensive backs coach (Chargers): Interviewed 1/26
- Adam Fuller, safeties coach (Chargers): Interviewed 1/26
- Jim Leonhard, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Interview requested
- Zach Orr, defensive coordinator (Ravens): Interviewed 1/23
- Aubrey Pleasant, pass-game coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/24
- Dylan Roney, outside linebackers coach (Chargers): Interviewed 1/26
- Dennard Wilson, former defensive coordinator (Titans): Interviewed 1/23
Chargers Confirm Mike McDaniel OC Hire
Mike McDaniel will not take on a new head coaching position in 2026. After exploring options on that front over the past few days, the ex-Dolphins HC will indeed focus on his offensive coordinator agreement with the Chargers. 
The Bolts announced on Monday that McDaniel has officially joined the team. An agreement was reached last week which set him up to take on OC duties in Los Angeles. At the time, though, McDaniel was still a candidate for the head coaching gigs in Vegas and Baltimore. The Raiders have yet to make a hire, but one candidate has officially been removed from consideration.
The Bills are also among the four teams which still have a head coaching vacancy at this point. Buffalo was slated to interview McDaniel, but he withdrew from consideration on Saturday. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, McDaniel was hesitant about meeting with the Bills shortly after working out an arrangement with the Chargers.
As of this weekend, McDaniel was still expected to ultimately take the job with Los Angeles (h/t Dianna Russini of The Athletic). No deal was formally in place at the time, but that has now changed. The Chargers have their Greg Roman replacement in hand. Roman was fired immediately after Los Angeles lost in the wild-card round for the second straight year.
That decision came as little surprise given the Chargers’ struggles on offense during the playoffs under Roman. Nevertheless, it ensured head coach Jim Harbaugh would have someone else operating as his OC for the first time at the NFL level. McDaniel, 42, will certainly represent a notable change on the sidelines for Los Angeles as the team seeks improvement in efficiency.
At times during his Miami tenure, McDaniel guided a unit which thrived in a number of areas. The Dolphins posted a top-six finish in total offense in 2022 and ’23, the years in which Miami reached the postseason. Things did not go according to plan afterwards, with the team regressing in a number of categories. McDaniel is nevertheless regarded as one of the league’s top offensive minds.
That reputation was largely generated during a lengthy period which saw McDaniel work alongside Kyle Shanahan on multiple staffs. From 2017-21, he operated as a key figure in San Francisco. McDaniel was the 49ers’ run-game coordinator for four years before a single campaign in an OC role. That one did not include play-calling duties, but with the Chargers McDaniel will handle those responsibilities.
Several candidates interviewed with the Bolts for their offensive coordinator position, including three other former head coaches. In the end, though, the expected outcome has emerged with McDaniel heading to Los Angeles. His future head coaching stock will no doubt be tied in large part to his ability to maximize the potential of quarterback Justin Herbert and Co. moving forward.
Chargers Interview Adam Fuller, Steve Clinkscale For DC Job
The Chargers were busy today interviewing defensive coordinator candidates. The team announced that they completed interviews with two internal candidates: Adam Fuller and Steve Clinkscale.
Fuller is a new addition to the growing list of options. The long-time college coach had stints as head coach (at Assumption) and defensive coordinator (at Wagner, Chattanooga, Marshall, Memphis, and Florida State) before finally taking his first NFL job on Jim Harbaugh‘s Chargers staff ahead of the 2025 campaign.
As the team’s new safeties coach, Fuller was tasked with guiding a unit led by All-Pro Derwin James, who once again graded out as a top-10 safety on Pro Football Focus’ positional rankings in 2025. Fuller mixed and matched with the other safety spot, turning to the likes of Elijah Molden, Tony Jefferson, RJ Mickens, and Alohi Gilman. Each of those four players ended up getting into more than 250 defensive snaps this past season.
Clinkscale was mentioned as a major candidate for the Chargers defensive coordinator job once former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter started generating interest for head coaching gigs. He’s got plenty of familiarity with Harbaugh; he worked as Michigan’s DBs coach in 2021 before being the Wolverines’ co-DC alongside Minter from 2022-23. Minter was the one to earn the DC opportunity in Los Angeles, but Clinkscale still came along with Harbaugh in 2024. He’s worked as the team’s defensive backs coach for the past two seasons.
While Harbaugh seems intent to promote from within (he also interviewed OLBs coach Dylan Roney for the job), he’s also eyed some outside names for the position. Ravens DC Zach Orr, Rams pass-game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant, and former Titans DC Dennard Wilson have also interview for the gig.
Chargers Interview Dylan Roney For DC Position
The Chargers lost their highly-regarded defensive coordinator last week when Jesse Minter was hired as the Ravens’ new head coach. The search for his replacement continues. 
Los Angeles announced on Monday that an interview has taken place with one of the team’s top internal candidates. Outside linebackers coach Dylan Roney met with the Chargers for their DC gig. This is the first coordinator posting he has been linked to.
The Chargers have already interviewed three other staffers, although one of them (Dennard Wilson) is no longer on the market. Another two outside options – Zach Orr (Ravens) and Aubrey Pleasants (Rams) – have spoken with the team. It would come as little surprise if the Bolts looked internally to replace Minter, with defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale a name to watch on that front.
Clinkscale and Minter both spent time working under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan before following him to Los Angeles in 2024. Roney took that same route, working as a graduate assistant from 2021-23 on the Wolverines’ staff. He then became a defensive assistant with the Chargers during Harbaugh’s first season back in the NFL. Roney took on his current role ahead of the 2025 season.
Los Angeles posted 45 sacks this year, with much of that production coming from the team’s OLBs. Tuli Tuipulotu totaled a career-high 13 sacks, earning a Pro Bowl nod along the way. Khalil Mack chipped in as well, while midseason trade acquisition Odafe Oweh posted 7.5 sacks in 12 games after being held without one in five Ravens contests to begin the season. That success has no doubt helped Roney’s stock regarding a promotion or at least a lengthy tenure on the Chargers’ staff.
Mike McDaniel was officially hired on Monday to fill Los Angeles’ offensive coordinator vacancy. Attention will now increasingly turn to the DC position, with Roney a staffer to watch as Harbaugh weighs his options.
Chargers, DT Teair Tart Agree To Extension
Teair Tart will be staying in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future. The veteran defensive tackle agreed to an extension on Monday, ESPN’s Kris Rhim reports. 
Tart was on track for free agency this March, but this deal ensures he will not reach the open market. According to Rhim, the sides have agreed to a three-year pact. The deal is worth a maximum of $37.5MM and includes $20MM guaranteed, a massive raise compared to Tart’s previous NFL contracts.
Over the course of his career, Tart has amassed roughly $13MM in earnings. His time with the Chargers has gone well to say the least, though, and a sizable commitment has now been made to demonstrate as much. The former UDFA spent his first four seasons in the AFC South, splitting his time between the Titans and Texans. Tart joined the Dolphins in 2024 but ended up being cut in August. That resulted in a low-cost Chargers deal.
During his first year playing under Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles, Tart handled a rotational role. He did enough to earn another one-year pact with the Bolts last offseason, with a notable bump in pay accompanying it. The FIU product secured $3.5MM guaranteed on his previous deal, one which set him up to handle a full-time starting role. Tart saw a career-high 49% snap share in 2025; he totaled 32 tackles, four pass deflections and one forced fumble along the way.
The 28-year-old was held without a sack in 2025 and has totaled just 3.5 over the course of his career. Tart will not expected to emerge as a major interior presence from a pass-rush perspective over the course of this contract, but he will be leaned on to remain an impactful contributor against the run. Los Angeles ranked eighth in that regard this season, and with Tart still in the fold expectations will be high for the team’s success to continue.
The Bolts recently lost defensive coordinator Jesse Minter when he became the new head coach of the Ravens. Tart loomed as a candidate to follow Minter to Baltimore in free agency, but given today’s news that will not be happening. The Chargers have made a number of draft investments along the defensive interior during recent years. Much of their core at that spot will remain intact, although Otto Ogbonnia‘s rookie contract is set to expire shortly. This Tart investment could point to a free agent departure in Ogbonnia’s case.
Packers To Hire Jonathan Gannon As DC
The Packers recently lost defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley when he took the Dolphins’ head coaching position. The search for his replacement has come to an end.
Green Bay is hiring Jonathan Gannon to fill the DC position, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The former Cardinals head coach has thus managed to find a new opportunity not long after his Arizona firing. Gannon was one of three candidates known to have interviewed with the Packers. 
Interest in multiple D-coordinator openings was present in Gannon’s case. The Commanders interviewed him once, while the Cowboys conducted a follow-up with him last week. Gannon was also among the candidates who spoke with the Titans about their head coaching position, but a return to the DC ranks has long been expected in this case. Both the Chargers and Giants were interested in Gannon, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reports. Green Bay moving quickly with this hire may have been a reaction to the threat of other DC offers being made shortly.
Gannon spent three seasons leading the Cardinals. Hired alongside general manager Monti Ossenfort to oversee a rebuilding effort, Arizona went 4-13 during his first year on the sidelines. The team’s win total doubled in 2024; that encouraging campaign saw the Cardinals in contention for a playoff berth for much of the season. A poor showing after the bye produced only a pair of wins down the stretch, however.
Expectations were high for Gannon’s team to at least match its success from the prior year entering 2025. Things did not go according to plan, however. Following a 2-0 start, the Cardinals lost five consecutive one-score games. A win coming out of the bye seemed to offer the potential for a turnaround, but as injuries across the roster piled up Arizona ended the year on a nine-game losing streak. Leading up to ‘Black Monday,’ it increasingly appeared as though Ossenfort would be safe while Gannon would be dismissed. That was indeed the path ownership took.
Prior to his Cardinals tenure, Gannon coordinated the Eagles’ defense for two years. Philadelphia ranked top 10 in yards allowed during the 2021 and ’22 seasons; the team improved from 18th to eighth in scoring defense under Gannon. With the Eagles reaching the Super Bowl during Gannon’s final year in Philadelphia, it came as little surprise when he received a head coaching opportunity. Expectations will no doubt be tempered if Gannon, 42, is to get another HC look in the future.
Upon returning to coordinator duties, however, Gannon could once again see quick success. Green Bay largely thrived on defense during Hafley’s two-year run leading the unit. Injuries midway through the 2025 campaign – highlighted of course by Micah Parsons‘ ACL tear – proved to be impactful, and the Packers struggled on defense through the end of the season and in the wild-card round. That did not stop Hafley from being among the top HC candidates during this year’s hiring cycle, and few were surprised when he followed Green Bay colleague Jon-Eric Sullivan to Miami.
Gannon had a lengthy track record of NFL coaching gigs prior to his Eagles coordinator opportunity. Much of that time was spent as a position coach working with defensive backs, and the secondary looms as a unit which could see considerable attention from the Packers this offseason. Gannon will be tasked with overseeing improvement on the back end in particular for Green Bay in 2026 as he takes charge of a defense for the second time in his career.
Chargers Interview Dennard Wilson For DC
One day after new Titans head coach Robert Saleh fired him, Dennard Wilson is now a candidate for the Chargers’ defensive coordinator position. The Chargers have interviewed Wilson for the job, per a team announcement.
Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is seeking a replacement for trusted confidant and former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who took the Ravens’ HC gig on Thursday. Considering the success Minter had during his two-year stay in Los Angeles, he’ll be a tough act to follow for the Chargers’ next D-coordinator. The Bolts’ Minter-led defense finished top 10 in scoring twice in a row, including No. 1 in 2024, and was fifth in yards allowed in 2025.
Wilson has ties to the Harbaugh family, having worked as Baltimore’s defensive backs coach under then-Ravens HC John Harbaugh in 2023. He parlayed that position into the Titans’ defensive coordinator role from 2024-25. The unit was 30th in scoring in Wilson’s first year, but it was a far stingier second in total defense. However, after it ranked 28th and 21st, respectively, in those categories in 2025, Wilson is now seeking employment.
Along with the Titans and Ravens, the 43-year-old Wilson has served on defensive staffs with the Rams, Jets and Eagles since his NFL coaching career began in 2012. He was the passing game coordinator and DBs coach for the 2022 Eagles, whose top-ranked pass defense helped them advance to the Super Bowl.
Wilson is the first official D-coordinator meeting for the Chargers, who have requested interviews with Ravens DC Zach Orr and Rams pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant. There’s a belief that Harbaugh will ultimately promote DBs coach Steve Clinkscale to replace Minter. If that’s the case, Wilson could still end up on the Chargers’ staff in some capacity. He’s also on the Commanders’ radar, having interviewed for their D-coordinator opening on Jan. 10.