There's always an adjustment period in Year 1 of anything — and the same held true for linebackers coach NaVorro Bowman.
The former All-Pro linebacker joined Head Coach Jim Harbaugh’s staff in 2024 for his first NFL coaching opportunity, eventually leading his unit to become a stable force in the middle of an impressive Chargers defense.
And even for someone with the amount of NFL experience Bowman had as a player, this offseason has felt much smoother.
"Last year, everything was going fast even for coaches. For the coaches and the players, things have kind of slowed down. We kind of know what to expect," Bowman said Tuesday.
"Just the energy and everybody excited to come back and to correct mistakes and kind of get further along than we did last year," Bowman added. "We were on a high rise and it just ended. Just to see the guys excited to back and really attack this thing has been exciting for us."
And for Bowman's group, it also helps that a lot of the players in the room have stayed the same now in his second year in charge of the position.
The team brought back linebackers Denzel Perryman and Troy Dye in free agency, each of whom had an instrumental role at the position in 2024 next to Daiyan Henley, who had a breakout season.
Both veteran linebackers expressed their excitement for returning to a room where they can each provide their own things uniquely.
"They brought me back for a reason," Perryman said. "I still feel like regardless of my age, how many years it is, I still bring some kind of value to the team."
Dye added: "Being back in a place where you're wanted and appreciated is an amazing thing for me. That was a big reason why I came back, plus a great locker room, great staff, great guys… It was just the right fit."
It also helps to come back to a room that has remained almost the same, as the top four leaders in snaps at the position — Henley, Denzel Perryman, Troy Dye, Junior Colson — all occupy the room.
Like anything, another year of being around almost all the same group can do a lot in building on the success of last year.
"Bringing the guys back in the room, you don't have to build a new bond with people," Perryman said. "Don't get me wrong, there's one or two faces in the room that's new, but we kind of know what each person is going to bring to the table.
"We like brothers in that room," Perryman added. "I feel like we're a tight-knit group and they didn't break it up."
One of those new faces is linebacker in Del’Shawn Phillips, who has primarily had a major role on special teams over his last few seasons.
Phillips is one of the few in the room who weren't on the team last year and has spent this part of the offseason getting to know his new teammates.
And in his short time with the Bolts and watching from afar, he was fired up to add in his part as believes the Chargers are close to big things in the near future.
"We're on task, we have that execution, we're doing the right things. It doesn't matter what we're doing — in the meetings, weight room, on then field — you have to do the right thing no matter how you get it done," Phillips said. "That's something that stood out to me, there's no area where we slack here.
"If so, your brothers will pick you up and say, 'Pick it up here, pick it up there,'" Phillips added. "The best teams are the teams that are player-led where the coach doesn't have to say too much."
Bowman echoed a similar sentiment, as he sees the position as one of leadership for the rest of the defense.
"I always think that as a linebacker, we should always have some type of control over the defense," Bowman said. "I have the guys that are willing to do that, and that's what makes us a good group, guys being willing to do extra and to communicate to other positions to make sure other guys are on the same page."
One of the players in the room who Bowman says has taken a leap in that aspect is Henley.
The 2023 third-round pick went from limited action as a rookie to quickly ascending as one of the league's young stars at the position.
Henley led the Chargers with 147 total tackles and was the only NFL player in 2024 to record at least 120 tackles and more than seven passes defensed during the regular season. He was also reliable for the team, starting in all 17 games and playing the most defensive snaps on the team with 996.
And Bowman noted the work for Henley to take another leap has been ongoing.
The linebackers coach said Henley has been striving to get better and attacking it each day during the offseason, as well as working extra on the side to continue to improve.
He's also taken on a bigger role on the field with his voice, something his teammates have noticed early on as well.
"I know last year as a player he grew and he's still growing now," Perryman said. "Even when we do our workouts, he's first in line, he's leading the line, he'll break down the group, he's showing that leadership right now.
"I'm happy with the person he's become," Henley added.
Bowman's group excelled in a big way last season, and are now building on it in Year 2.
And if there's anybody that knows firsthand how a second season under Harbaugh can look like, it's the former All-Pro who experienced it.
"It's getting there," Bowman said. "It's creating a culture where you don't always have to be the guy directing. Getting players to really just guide the team and make sure that we're all on the verge of thinking about winning and putting the team first, that's what it all comes down to.
"And I think we are, I could feel the camaraderie and the guys understanding when we're out there, we're going to work and when we're not, we're relaxed, we're enjoying each other," Bowman continued. "Just understanding that you can't harp on what you did before, you have to move on very quickly in this league or you'll be surprised the next year.
He added: "Getting guys to understand that this is a league that every Sunday you have to prepare and perform or else you will not be where you want to be."
