The Los Angeles Chargers have hired their new defensive coordinator to replace Jesse Minter, who departed for the head coaching job with the Baltimore Ravens. Chris O'Leary will take over play-calling duties for the Chargers on that side of the ball.
Many were surprised at his hiring. He spent the 2025 seasons as the defensive coordinator at Western Michigan, and he surpassed internal candidates such as Steve Clinkscale and external candidates such as Jim Leonhard to claim the coveted job.
Yet Jim Harbaugh, throughout his two stints in the NFL, has shown an aptitude for selecting defensive play-callers. It's right to trust him on this hire as well.
In the context of the Harbaugh brother's long-standing coaching tree, it makes even more sense. O'Leary's hiring may have been Harbaugh's master plan all along.
Chris O'Leary may have always been the top choice for the Chargers' defensive coordinator job
Replacing Minter will be a difficult job. He maximized the talent he had available on a relatively low-paid defense, elevating the unit into the top-10 in the league in both his seasons in Los Angeles. The Chargers were almost certain to seek out continuity with their next hire.
O'Leary worked under Minter twice, first at Georgia State as a graduate assistant and most recently as safeties coach with the Chargers in 2024. He then led Western Michigan to an impeccable season defensively in 2025.
To find a parallel hiring, one doesn't need to look all that far.
Mike Macdonald spent seven seasons with the Baltimore Ravens between 2014 and 2020, ultimately ascending to linebackers coach by the end of his first stint there. He then surprisingly took a job as defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, only to be hired back as the Ravens' defensive coordinator in 2022.
It's clear that John Harbaugh had plans for Macdonald, and it's quite possible Jim Harbaugh had the same intentions for O'Leary.
If Los Angeles saw O'Leary as someone with coaching potential, his time at Western Michigan allowed him to gain vital play-calling experience before making the leap from positional coach. The Chargers have known for awhile that Minter's departure was inevitable, and this very likely could have been a move to prepare for that reality.
O'Leary's hiring is, therefore, ultimately an internal one. Hopefully he can find the same success Macdonald did upon his return to the NFL.