O-Line Coach ponders return to Bolts

The new Los Angeles Chargers coaching staff is full of familiar faces. It starts with head coach Jim Harbaugh, who previously played for the Chargers from 1999-2000. The connections only continue with general manager Joe Hortiz and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who were part of Jim’s 49ers staff and/or his brother John Harbaugh’s staff with the Baltimore Ravens.

One of the additions to the coaching staff was a former Charger like Jim Harbaugh. Nick Hardwick spent ten years with the Chargers as a center from 2004 to 2014, making the Pro Bowl in 2006 and being named to the San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team.

Since his retirement, Hardwick had begun working as an offensive line coach at the high school level before beginning to test out the possibility of coaching in the NFL. He eventually got the call from Harbaugh and has become the Chargers’ assistant offensive line coach. Hardwick recently reflected on his decision to take on the role.

“You only get so many chances to get back into the game,” Hardwick said, via Daniel Popper of The Athletic. ‘Do you want to talk about an opportunity? To work not only with him, but under coach Devlin and coach Roman, and the direction this organization is going, and to really get familiar with the organization, was the opportunity of a lifetime for me.”

Hardwick will now help shape one of the most promising offensive lines in the NFL. The Chargers’ O-line already features proven blockers in the signings of Bradley Bozeman and Rashawn Slater, who the Bolts just acquired the fifth-year option for. They further strengthened this group by drafting Joe Alt fifth overall on the O-line. With this group and the rest of the offensive coaching staff, Hardwick is in a good position to begin his NFL coaching career.

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