Jan. 14, 2026, 1:47 p.m. PT
The Chargers will begin looking for their next offensive coordinator after firing Greg Roman on Tuesday, after two seasons as the playcaller.
There are a few other offensive coordinator positions needing to be filled across the league, including the Eagles, Lions and Buccaneers, but NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky believes Los Angeles is the most attractive opening.
“The best available job as a play caller would be the Los Angeles Chargers,” Orlovsky said on his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
The Bolts need an offensive coordinator who is adaptable, creative, and can modernize their scheme to suit quarterback Justin Herbert’s elite arm talent by incorporating more sophisticated passing concepts, quick game, and motion, while still having a balanced, physical approach that aligns with head coach Jim Harbaugh’s philosophy.
“If you’re an offense that doesn’t utilize yards after the catch, and I don’t care how you get there. But if you don’t utilize space and yards after the catch, you’re handcuffing yourself. And so that’s something that the Chargers did not do a good job of. It’s something that the Buffalo Bills and Joe Brady do a great job of,” Orlovsky said.
Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.
Despite having Herbert under center, Roman’s passing offense underperformed, with limited creativity and struggling against strong defenses.
Additionally, Roman was brought in to improve the run game, but he failed to meet Harbaugh’s expectations. A major factor was injuries to starting offensive tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater and running backs Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton. It led to a ground game that finished in the bottom half of the league.
“The run game stuff never caught up to and married what the pass game needed to be from a concept style. You’ve got to have real NFL concepts that, on a week-to-week basis, attack the coverages that you’re going to see,” Orlovsky added.
As general manager Joe Hortiz, Harbaugh and company begin their search, we identified 20 candidates who could be good for the position.