Chargers' latest coaching hire reveals who LA may acquire at running back

Jim Harbaugh has wasted no time building out the rest of his coaching staff as he looks to reinvent the culture of the LA Chargers franchise. While some of the hires may have raised an eyebrow, most of the hires have been very talented coaches who are coming from very respective former positions.

After a week of no movement on the coaching front, the Chargers made their latest addition to the coaching staff on Thursday morning. Los Angeles is hiring USC running backs coach Kiel McDonald to be the team's running back coach. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, McDonald had a chance to be a college offensive coordinator but opted to be Harbaugh's running backs coach instead.

McDonald is going to play an important role on this coaching staff as the Bolts look to spark a running game that has been among the worst in the NFL this season. The Chargers have to rebuild the running back room this offseason, and with McDonald in the building, we may now know who the Bolts are going to target.

Kiel McDonald hire may bring Zach Moss, Marshawn Lloyd to the Chargers

The NFL is all about connections and with the Chargers needing to build the running back room from the ground up, hiring someone with a strong connection to two different makes (who both make sense for LA) is very notable.

The best solution for the Chargers this offseason is to sign a veteran running back at a cheap cost and to draft a rookie in the mid-rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft. If done right, the Bolts could form an effective 1-2 punch with rookie and veteran, and solve the running game that way.

Now the Chargers can do that with two running backs who both have connections to the new running backs coach. Pro Football Focus projects Moss to get a two-year, $7.5 million contract in free agency this offseason. That is certainly doable for the Chargers, even with the salary cap hurdles the team has to overcome.

Lloyd, meanwhile, is in the mid-70s in most draft big boards and should go in the third round. Suddenly, taking Lloyd with the 69th pick is in play, and might be the direction the team takes instead of drafting Michigan's Blake Corum.

Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL and just because McDonald has ties to two running backs who both make sense for LA does not mean they will definitely be Chargers. But now Corum is not the only back with ties to the franchise, which opens new doors that the Chargers may explore.