As first reported by Aaron Wilson of KPRC Houston, Texans assistant linebackers coach Ben Bolling interviewed for the Jets linebackers coach role on Wednesday and is expected to interview for the same position with the Chargers on Thursday.
Coming off the DeMeco Ryans coaching tree and helping lead a stout linebacker group that saw Azeez Al-Shaair earn his first Pro Bowl nod, Bolling is a name the Chargers have every reason to be interested in.
Bolling is just 32 years old and has been an assistant coach in Houston since 2021. While the results have not been elite across the board during his tenure, there have been clear highlights, culminating in this past season’s Texans defense emerging as one of the best units in the NFL.
Prior to beginning his NFL coaching career, Bolling spent four years coaching on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball at his alma mater, Campbell University.
More recently, the Houston defense has taken another step forward, in large part due to the play of its linebacker group. From Henry To’oTo’o to Azeez Al-Shaair, the Texans have consistently relied on their linebackers to make plays. The Chargers, meanwhile, have seen similar flashes from their own group.
Players like Daiyan Henley and Denzel Perryman have stepped up at key moments, particularly during the tenures of Jesse Minter and Navarro Bowman. With both now gone, Chris O’Leary and Ben Bolling could be tasked with leading the next era of high-quality linebacker play for Jim Harbaugh’s group.
Ben Boling would follow a familiar trend for new Chargers coaches
Following the official hiring of defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary to replace Jesse Minter, the pursuit of another young coach further highlights how Jim Harbaugh, Joe Hortiz, and the Spanos family have approached this offseason.
Gone are the days when relationships alone dictated how this organization was built. Through multiple coordinator hires, the Chargers have shown that Harbaugh is willing to acknowledge where he may need help and bring in the right people to close those gaps.
This is not a return to the Greg Roman approach of relying solely on familiar faces or long-standing personal ties. Harbaugh is clearly prioritizing the health of the organization over personal comfort, and he and Hortiz are making moves with the goal of building a winning football team.
If the Chargers and O’Leary want Bolling, there is little reason they should not be able to land him if the New York Jets are the only other competition. If Bolling values stability, leadership, and the opportunity to be part of something meaningful, the choice should be fairly clear.
If the Jets decide to throw significantly more money at him, that could change the equation. Still, Bolling would be joining a defense that has been strong since Harbaugh’s arrival and would have the opportunity to help prove that success is sustainable even without Jesse Minter. If that, combined with a legitimate path toward Super Bowl contention, is not enough, then nothing will be.