It was widely expected to happen and on Tuesday night it was made official: the LA Chargers hired Jesse Minter to be the team's next defensive coordinator. Minter is following Jim Harbaugh from the University of Michigan to the LA Chargers and will look to fix what Brandon Staley has done on the defensive side of the ball.
Minter, Harbaugh and the front office are going to have to rebuild the defense in some capacity with there being so many holes on that side of the ball. Part of that equation will be external help, but a big part of the equation has to be players stepping up who are already on the roster.
With a fresh new outlook on the defensive side of the ball courtesy of Minter, there are bound to be players who improve in 2024.
Chargers who will instantly benefit from Jesse Minter's arrival:
Derwin James
Derwin James is an All-Pro-caliber who has not quite been himself recently. James got worse every single season that Staley was around, which culminated in the 2023 season being James' worst of his career. It wasn't just that he was playing at a lower level, he was downright bad in some cases as well.
Any Chargers fans who were concerned instantly felt relieved when James turned his play around with Giff Smith as the interim head coach. James is an elite safety with a unique skill set that has to be used properly and that is something Staley never quite figured out.
Less is sometimes more with James as he was often given too much with Staley calling the defense. While his versatility can absolutely still be tapped into, James is at his best when he is playing near the line of scrimmage more and has a simple goal on any given play: disruption.
Any defensive coaching change would likely benefit James and Minter may right the ship and turn him back into an All-Pro safety.