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The Los Angeles Chargers have agreed to terms with Chris O\u2019Leary to be their new defensive coordinator, the team announced Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Leary spent 2024 as the Chargers safeties coach before leaving to take the Western Michigan defensive coordinator job this past season. He will be replacing former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who was hired as Baltimore Ravens head coach earlier this month.<\/p>\n
During his one Chargers season in 2024, O\u2019Leary was instrumental in establishing Minter\u2019s defensive scheme. O\u2019Leary was very hands-on coaching Derwin James Jr., who had a resurgent All-Pro season in Year 1 in the system.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Leary spent the opening portion of nearly every Chargers practice working one-on-one with James, running him through various coverage assignments. Those drills included reps at nickel, the position James has majored in over the past two seasons. Moving closer to the line of scrimmage more often has been crucial in James returning to elite form. O\u2019Leary was the position coach that helped launch this role.<\/p>\n
In addition, O\u2019Leary played a huge part in onboarding safety Elijah Molden after a late August trade in 2024. Molden arrived in Los Angeles 10 days before the Chargers\u2019 opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. O\u2019Leary was in charge of getting him him ready. The two met for two and a half hours each day over a three-day period. Molden said then that O\u2019Leary was able to install all of Minter\u2019s playbook in those three meetings. O\u2019Leary said he tried to make himself \u201cavailable at all times,\u201d which included texts, calls and FaceTimes at any hour.<\/p>\n
Molden had an interception in Week 2.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s my dog,\u201d Molden said then of O\u2019Leary. \u201cHe\u2019s like a young uncle or a big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Leary worked for six seasons at Notre Dame before joining the Chargers. He first joined up with Minter in 2015 as a graduate assistant at Georgia State. Minter was then Georgia State\u2019s defensive coordinator. Minter and O\u2019Leary reconnected with the Chargers in 2024 when coach Jim Harbaugh was building his staff.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Leary was a coveted member of the Chargers\u2019 defensive staff after the unit\u2019s success in 2024. But he left in the offseason to take the job at Western Michigan. In 2025, O\u2019Leary\u2019s defense finished ninth FBS in scoring defense, allowing 17.4 points per game.<\/p>\n
The Chargers interviewed some internal options for their open defensive coordinator job, including defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale, safeties coach Adam Fuller and edge rushers coach Dylan Roney. It always felt like the Chargers were going to maintain some scheme familiarity, given the success Minter had over his first two seasons. The Chargers ranked seventh in defensive EPA\/play under Minter, according to TruMedia.<\/p>\n
In the end, the Chargers stayed in the Minter tree with O\u2019Leary, a coach who showed a ton of promise and ability in his one NFL season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n