After losing hold of a 27-point lead in the Wild Card Round to the Jaguars, the Chargers began the offseason shaking up the coaching staff. They moved on from offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, quarterbacks coach Shane Day and inside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite as a result.
After bringing aboard Kellen Moore to become the new offensive coordinator, the Chargers have reportedly added another piece to their coaching staff.
In replacing Wilhoite, the Chargers are set to hire Jeff Howard to coach the team's inside linebackers, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Howard comes over from the Cleveland Browns, where he spent the past three seasons as the defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator.
Prior to occupying his most recent role, Howard was the offensive line assistant, defensive quality control coach and defensive backs coach from 2011-12 at Texas Tech. Following two years coaching at the college level, Howard made the switch to the NFL with the Vikings, serving as a defensive assistant from 2013-19.
With the Chargers, Howard will inherit an inside linebackers group with several questions that lie ahead. Drue Tranquill, the team's signal-caller of the defense, is a pending free agent and will likely require a multi-year contract extension to bring him back. Kyle Van Noy, who played primarily edge rusher after spending most of training camp at off-the-ball linebacker, is also set to hit the open market. Troy Reeder, after spending the 2022 season in a depth role, comes off the books at the start of the new league year, becoming a free agent for the second time in two years.
The Chargers' group of inside linebackers currently under contract include Kenneth Murray, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Nick Niemann and Damon Lloyd.
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