{"id":702168,"date":"2026-01-24T19:18:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T19:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/702168\/"},"modified":"2026-01-24T19:18:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T19:18:20","slug":"la-interviews-rams-assistant-for-vacant-dc-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/702168\/","title":{"rendered":"LA interviews Rams assistant for vacant DC role"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> are entering a period of significant transition following a 16-3 playoff loss to the New England Patriots. This defeat marked the end of Jim Harbaugh<\/a>\u2019s second season and triggered a series of changes within the coaching staff. Most notably, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter departed<\/a> to become the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.<\/p>\n

In response, Harbaugh is already trying to hire Mike McDaniel to replace Greg Roman on offense. Now, the focus shifts to finding a defensive leader who can maintain high standards while working alongside Harbaugh to push the franchise deeper into the 2026 postseason.<\/p>\n

The team has officially moved forward with its search by completing an interview<\/a> with Aubrey Pleasant for the defensive coordinator position. Pleasant currently serves as the assistant head coach and defensive passing game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n

His impact was evident during the 2025 season, as the Rams’ defense finished tenth in points allowed and fifth in total takeaways. Pleasant brings a wealth of experience from four other NFL organizations and the University of Michigan.<\/p>\n

As a member of the Sean McVay coaching tree, he represents a modern approach to defensive scheming that could provide a tactical balance to the new offensive direction.<\/p>\n

In addition to Pleasant, the Chargers have expressed interest in Zach Orr<\/a>, the former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator. This move is noteworthy because Orr recently worked alongside Minter, providing a level of familiarity the Chargers value.<\/p>\n

Although the Ravens experienced some statistical regression in 2025, specifically ranking near the bottom of the league in sacks, Orr is still regarded as a highly capable defensive mind. The Chargers believe they understand his track record well, making him a candidate to stabilize a unit that was among the league\u2019s best last year.<\/p>\n

As Harbaugh prepares for his third year, the choice of defensive coordinator will be vital. The organization wants a leader who can continue the success established by Minter while adapting to the AFC landscape.<\/p>\n

By interviewing Pleasant and Orr, the Chargers are signaling a commitment to elite coaching and schematic consistency. Fans are waiting to see which specialist will take the reins to help the team overcome its recent playoff hurdles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Los Angeles Chargers are entering a period of significant transition following a 16-3 playoff loss to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":697984,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2064],"tags":[241,7,10097,1012,1014,262,2444,2443,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-702168","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-chargers","8":"tag-chargers","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-jesse-minter","11":"tag-jim-harbaugh","12":"tag-los-angeles","13":"tag-los-angeles-chargers","14":"tag-losangeles","15":"tag-losangeleschargers","16":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115951692156695920","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=702168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/697984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=702168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=702168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=702168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}