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Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers hired former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin.
For the second day in a row, Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers have added a Pittsburgh Steelers connection to their coaching staff.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported Sunday the Chargers hired former Steelers outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin.
With the Chargers, Martin will serve as an assistant outside linebackers coach.
Sources: The #Chargers are hiring former #Steelers OLBs coach Denzel Martin as assistant OLBs coach on Jim Harbaugh’s staff.
Martin was in Pittsburgh since 2016 and has worked with the likes of TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nate Herbig, among others. He now joins the Chargers with
“Martin was in Pittsburgh since 2016 and has worked with the likes of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nate Herbig, among others,” Schultz wrote on X. “He now joins the Chargers with new DC Chris O’Leary.”
In addition to joining Chris O’Leary, Martin will likely coach closely with former Steelers linebacker Sean Spence. Schultz reported Saturday the Chargers were hiring Spence as their inside linebackers coach.
Spence played in Pittsburgh from 2012-15. Spence and Martin barely didn’t overlap with the Steelers organization. Martin joined Mike Tomlin’s staff as an assistant before the 2016 campaign, a year after Spence played his final game in Pittsburgh.
Ex-Steelers’ Denzel Martin Joins Jim Harbaugh Coaching Staff
Martin is heading to Los Angeles after about a decade under previous Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
In his first two years with the Steelers, Martin was actually a scouting assistant. He began coaching under the “coaching assistant” job title in 2018.
During 2020, the Steelers promoted Martin to assistant outside linebackers coach. According to Schultz, that is the title Martin will have with the Chargers.
Martin received another promotion to outside linebackers coach in 2023.
Before Pittsburgh, Martin served as a recruiting graduate assistant for the Missouri Tigers in the SEC during 2015. Martin played linebacker with the Tigers from 2010-14 while pursuing an education degree with “an emphasis in positive coaching.”
Martin’s Resume With the Steelers
T.J. Watt was already established as a great edge rusher once Martin became his assistant position coach. But Watt continued to flourish, peaking in 2021 with 22.5 sacks and the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
With Martin as his position coach or assistant coach, Watt registered 80.5 sacks in 88 games from 2020-25.
The Steelers developed other strong edge rushers as well during Martin’s tenure. The list includes Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, as Schultz mentioned, and Jack Sawyer.
As a rookie in 2025, Sawyer posted six quarterback hits, four pass defenses, three tackles for loss, two interceptions and one sack.
In part because of Highsmith, Herbig and Sawyer, the Steelers continued to be one of the best defenses at recording sacks in the league during 2025. The Steelers remained elite in that category despite Watt having his worse sack output in a campaign where he played more than 10 games since 2017.
The Chargers were ranked tied for 10th in the league with 45 sacks last season. Third-year Pro Bowler Tuli Tuipulotu led the team with 13.5 sacks.
Fellow outside linebacker Odafe Oweh was second for the Chargers with 7.5 sacks. If both linebackers return, Martin will have plenty to work with in Los Angeles next season.
But Oweh is set to be an unrestricted free agent in March.
The Chargers have gone 11-6 in each of their first two seasons with Harbaugh as head coach. But the team didn’t win a playoff game during either campaign. Their last postseason victory came in January 2019.
Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb
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