The LA Chargers replaced Greg Roman with the best offensive coordinator option on the market, former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. McDaniel wasted little time filling the Chargers' vacant offensive line coach position, bringing fellow former Dolphins coach Butch Barry with him to LA.
Barry has been successful in Miami as the Dolphins have been a good example of doing a lot with few resources. The hope is that the Chargers invest even more resources into the offensive line this offseason, putting Barry in an even easier position to succeed.
As excited as Chargers fans are for Barry, there is now a complicating wrinkle that nobody could have seen coming. One of, if not the, best offensive line coaches in the NFL, Jeff Stoutland, is now on the market after a 13-year tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles. Stoutland announced his departure on Wednesday and is the kind of coach a team should move mountains to hire.
The Chargers should do (just about) anything to hire Greg Stoutland
Even with Barry on the staff, there is an undeniable benefit to bringing in someone with as much experience and success as Stoutland. To make it happen, the Chargers would need to get creative.
The Chargers should be willing to do just about anything to bring Stoutland in outside of firing Barry. That is the one line the Chargers shouldn't cross. It makes no sense to instantly burn a bridge with the offensive coordinator, even if the Chargers probably would have hired Stoutland over Barry if he became available three weeks ago.
Stoutland is far too qualified to be an assistant to Barry, so that goes out the window. The Chargers would need to create a new role for the veteran offensive line coach. We've seen teams do this in the past with assistant head coach roles, and quite frankly, that would be a perfect fit for Stoutland on this staff.
The Chargers could also transition run game coordinator/tight ends coach Andy Bischoff to just being the tight end coach, opening the door for Stoutland to be run game coordinator/assistant head coach. Either way, there is a way to get him on the staff to spread his impact.
Former Eagles offensive lineman Mekhi Becton is, ironically, the perfect example as to why the Chargers should go after Stoutland. Becton had a career year under Stoutland in 2024 and regressed heavily with the Chargers in 2025.
Becton is not the only lineman that Stoutland has had that impact on. Whether or not Becton stays in LA, he's the prime example of what Stoutland can do. For a Chargers team that always has offensive line issues, Stoutland can be a legitimate savior.