The Chargers fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Shane Day Tuesday after two seasons.
Head Coach Brandon Staley, returning for 2023, is now looking for a new coaching core around 24-year-old quarterback Justin Herbert.
Herbert made his first playoff appearance that season, but a series of injuries saw the offense decline overall. The Chargers ranked fourth in the Football Outsiders’ offensive DVOA in 2021. That year they placed 19th. Injuries were a factor. Such was a lack of speed and depth at the receiver. But Lombardi’s scheme and game call just felt stagnant. The Chargers couldn’t lead the ball effectively all season, and that was the primary problem with the team’s epic 27-point lead against the Jaguars in the weekend’s playoffs.
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The Chargers ran just 7 yards on seven designed rushes in a game they had to take at the line of scrimmage and finish on the ground. This performance has largely led to these layoffs. Herbert, who struggled with fractured rib cartilage all season, ended 2022 with career lows in touchdowns and yards per attempt.
Staley needs to recover from this offense and find a coordinator who can unlock Herbert’s full potential.
The tag shot is a bit surprising as he has a very close relationship with Herbert. However, this appears to be a necessary step in attracting the best candidates to offensive coordinators who are likely to want to use their own staff.
Here are six possible candidates who could replace Lombardi.
Mike LaFleur, former Jets OC
LaFleur parted ways with the Jets earlier this month to pursue other opportunities. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue reported over the weekend that LaFleur is “a name to watch” for the Rams’ open offensive coordinator position. NFL Network reported that LaFleur is expected to join Sean McVay’s staff. But opening the Chargers would be a crucial opportunity for LaFleur, the younger brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. Mike LaFleur coached under Kyle Shanahan from 2015 to 2020, first with the Falcons and then with the 49ers.
Nathaniel Hackett, former Broncos head coach
Hackett’s stint in Denver came to an abrupt end. And the Broncos’ offensive line with Russell Wilson was a terrible disaster. But Hackett has experience as a playmaker from his three seasons as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator from 2016-2018. He turned a Blake Bortles-led unit into a functional offensive. He didn’t seem ready for his chance as head coach, but the Chargers could be a good fit. Hackett coached under Matt LaFleur at Green Bay for three seasons from 2019 to 2021.
Thomas Brown, assistant head coach of the Rams/TEs coaches
McVay, of course, made his mark as a young coach on Mike Shanahan’s Washington staff in the early 2010s. Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator. Matt LaFleur was the quarterbacks coach. McVay was the tight ends coach. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel coached the wide receivers. This is the tree Staley will probably pluck from. And Brown has now worked under McVay for three seasons — first as a running backs coach in 2020, when he added the title of assistant head coach during the Super Bowl run in 2021, and then transitioned from running backs to tight ends last season . The Chargers need to improve their running game. That will be a priority when they conduct this quest. Brown was an NFL running back and was involved in the running game at every stop in his coaching career, in college and in the pros.
Thomas Brown is a candidate who could help the Chargers improve their running game. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)
Dan Pitcher, Bengals QBs coach
Pitcher has spent the last seven seasons coaching the Bengals, including the last four on Zac Taylor’s staff. He was assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019 before being promoted to quarterbacks coach for Joe Burrow’s rookie season in 2020. Taylor spent two seasons coaching under McVay, including a season as quarterbacks coach in 2018, before the Bengals hired him as their head coach.
Zac Robinson, Rams/QBs coaches passing coordinator
Robinson played four seasons as a quarterback in the NFL from 2010 to 2013 before joining McVay’s staff in 2019 as an assistant quarterbacks coach. He served as assistant wide receivers coach in 2020, returned to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2021, and was promoted to passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach last season.
Frank Reich, former head coach of the Colts
Reich, who was fired by the Colts mid-season, is already getting interviews with the head coach. He reportedly did an interview for the Panthers’ opening last week. But we’ll include him here in case he doesn’t get a spot as head coach and is still looking for a play-calling job in 2023. Reich spent three seasons on Mike McCoy’s staff from 2013 to 2015, first as quarterbacks coach and then as offensive coordinator for two seasons. So there is a certain organizational familiarity.
(Top photo by Joe Lombardi: Kyle Terada/USA Today)