The Los Angeles Chargers today announced multiple changes and additions to the team's coaching staff for the upcoming 2020 season.
Offensive Coordinator Shane Steichen will remain in the same position he assumed for the second half of the 2019 season. After taking over as offensive coordinator in Week 9, Steichen coordinated a passing attack that ranked inside the top five in the NFL over that span for total net yards-per-game (No. 5), passing yards-per-game (No. 5) and passing yards-per-attempt (No. 4). On the ground, from Week 9 through the end of the 2019 season, the Bolts' rushing attack improved by 42.6 yards-per-game, the third-best increase in the NFL over that span. The team also posted the fourth largest improvement league-wide from the first half of the season to the second in rushing touchdowns, fifth-best gain in rush average and ninth highest increase in runs of 12-plus yards.
James Campen joins the Bolts as the offensive line coach after coaching the position in the NFL for the past 13 years. He served as the offensive line coach for Green Bay from 2007-17 and took on run game coordinator duties for the Packers during the 2018 campaign. Most recently, Campen was the offensive line/associate head coach in Cleveland last season. He has coached seven players to Pro Bowl selections, including tackle David Bakhtiari, who also earned first-team All-Pro recognition in 2018 from The Associated Press. Campen played seven seasons in the NFL, protecting Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre during two 3,000-yard campaigns.
After spending 2016-18 as the assistant offensive line coach with the New York Jets, David Diaz-Infante joins the Chargers in the same role. He served as a coaching intern for the Bolts during the offseason program leading up to the 2019 season. Diaz-Infante began his NFL career with the Chargers, signing as an undrafted free agent in 1987 before spending time with Philadelphia and Denver.
Alfredo Roberts returns to coach tight ends, a position that he coached for 13 seasons (2003-15) with four NFL teams before assuming running back coaching duties for the Chargers over the past three seasons. Roberts played tight end in five NFL seasons, winning back-to-back Super Bowls with Dallas after a collegiate career that saw him claim two national championships as a tight end at the University of Miami.
Entering his ninth season with the Bolts, Mark Ridgley will coach running backs in 2020. It marks his first season as a running backs coach after serving as the assistant offensive line coach from 2018-19 and offensive assistant in 2017. During the 2018 campaign, the Chargers produced a pair of Pro Bowl offensive linemen and the group blocked for a 1,000-yard runner.
Rip Scherer moves into a senior assistant role for 2020 after coaching tight ends for the Bolts the past two seasons. The veteran offensive coach served as a coordinator or assistant head coach for 19 seasons throughout his collegiate and pro experience. Scherer also brings 11 seasons of head coaching experience while at James Madison and the University of Memphis.
Defensively, Addison Lynch assumes the assistant defensive backs coaching position after spending the last two seasons as quality control/defense for the Bolts, primarily working with the linebackers. Lynch returns to coach All-Pro safety Derwin James Jr., whom he coached at Florida State to earn first-team All-America and All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors.
Ryan Milus was named quality control/defense after spending the 2019 season as the Alex G. Spanos Coaching Fellow. He will primarily work in practice drills with linebackers coach Richard Smith. Previously, Milus coached defensive backs at Weber State for two seasons (2017-18) and collegiately was a three-time All-American sprinter at Arizona State.
