Tag: James Campen Chargers

Offensive line coach James Campen not returning with Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers will be seeking a new offensive line coach.

The Chargers will be looking for a new offensive line coach.

After one season with Los Angeles, offensive line coach James Campen will not return with the team under new head coach Brandon Staley, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Hired prior to the 2020 season, it was expected that Campen was going to play a significant role in the development of an offensive line that had featured the additions of tackle Bryan Bulaga and guard Trai Turner.

However, things took a drastic turn when injuries occurred to the starters, including Bulaga and Turner. As a result, the line finished near the bottom of the league in terms of pass and run-blocking efficiency.

General manager Tom Telesco made the point at his end-of-season press conference that changes were going to be made to the line, and it appears that first thing is hiring a new man in charge of overseeing the group.

Get to know Chargers new offensive line coach

The Los Angeles Chargers hired James Campen as their new offensive line coach on Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Chargers announced James Campen as their new offensive line coach on Tuesday.

Campen was an undrafted free agent out of Tulane, who went on to start his professional career with the New Orleans Saints in 1987. After a season with the Saints, he played in 61 games with 47 starts at center for the Green Bay Packers from 1989 through 1993.

Once his playing days came to an end, Campen joined the Packers in 2004 as an assistant offensive line coach. In 2007, when former Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy took over, Campen was promoted to offensive line coach.

In nine of his 11 seasons as the offensive line coach, the Packers ranked in the top-10 in the league in scoring. Green Bay finished in the top-10 in total offense in eight of those 11 seasons, including three of the top four single-season yardage marks in franchise history.

Campen helped six linemen earn Pro Bowl recognition in an eight-year span: Offensive tackle Chad Clifton, center Scott Wells, guard Josh Sitton, center Jeff Saturday, tackle David Bakhtiari, guard T.J. Lang.

After spending 15 seasons with the Packers, Campen was hired as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in 2019. A season went by and he was not retained by the team.

Based on his success with Green Bay, Los Angeles’ hiring of Campen is a solid one. The numbers don’t lie, and the majority of the Packers’ starters along the offensive line were mid-round picks, who he all helped turn into one of the best at their perspective positions.

The Chargers offensive line finished with one of the worst positional groups in 2019, but the arrival of Campen might be the turning point.

He should help with the development with former third-round pick Trey Pipkins and the rest of their young offensive linemen, their future draft selections, and he could aide in luring soon-to-be free agents that he used to coach like offensive tackles Bryan Bulaga or Greg Robinson.