A familiar face graced the sidelines at Hoag Performance Center this week, returning to the Chargers as a scouting intern.
He's a defensive end who appeared in 125 games for the Bolts, totaling 217 tackles and 12.5 sacks while starting 66 games from 2004-11.
If you haven't guessed by now, it's Jacques Cesaire, who was one of the biggest fan favorites during his Chargers tenure.
Cesaire is currently the defensive line coach at the University of San Diego, and decided to serve as a scouting intern to better himself in his profession.
"I've been coaching for a while now, and I really wanted to learn all aspects of football," he explained. "Learning the pro personnel side, and really learn how to evaluate a person, can only make you a better coach. I know learning how to coach, and I've done a couple internships in the NFL and learned from some great minds. I'm trying to keep learning, keep growing and keep evolving. This is another chance to learn, grow and evolve."
This is actually the second time Cesaire has interned with his former team. He enjoyed a stint as a coaching intern back in 2014, which fueled his fire for another go around with the Bolts.
Cesaire expressed interest to the Bolts' Director of Player Personnel in the past, who encouraged him to apply for the Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship.
The rest is history.
So, what exactly did Cesaire learn over the past week?
"It's a lot of the same stuff I already kind of did as a player," he said. "You're evaluating the people that you see out there. Evaluating offensive linemen. Evaluating defensive linemen. Really seeing who the player is. Asking who is this player, what does he bring to the table and how does he help the Chargers win. So that's what I've been doing here."
Getting to serve in this capacity with his former team proved to be the cherry on top of this unique experience.
"It's surreal," he said. "This is (my) first time up here in Los Angeles, and this building is beautiful. Everything is brand new, and it looks nice. And I'm excited seeing the team out there and seeing them run around. How they look, and how Coach (Anthony) Lynn addresses the team. I'm excited for what they can do this season."
