Brandon Staley’s staff with the Chargers continued to take shape Monday with the expected addition of defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill.
Though the Chargers have announced nothing officially, Hill and the team are finalizing terms, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
Hill, 42, spent the last two seasons as Denver’s secondary coach. He was a defensive assistant for Miami in 2018 and, before that, coached collegiately for five years, at Wyoming and Pittsburgh.
A former defensive back, Hill played in the NFL for 10 years, finishing his career with the Broncos on 2010.
At his introductory news conference last week, Staley said he will call the defensive plays in 2021. The Chargers hired Staley after he served one season as the Rams’ defensive coordinator.
Staley also has had discussions with longtime New Orleans assistant Joe Lombardi about becoming the Chargers’ offensive coordinator.
Lombardi, 49, has had two stints with the Saints totaling 12 seasons. He was Detroit’s offensive coordinator in 2014-15 under Jim Caldwell.
Those Lions teams finished 18-14 and, statistically, in the middle of the NFL’s offensive rankings. They struggled to run the ball, relying mostly on quarterback Matthew Stafford and a passing game that featured Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate.
Lombardi, who is the grandson of Vince Lombardi, was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Mercyhurst University in 2005, when Staley played his final college season for the Lakers.
The Chargers also are expected to hire Derius Swinton as their special teams coordinator. Swinton, 35, was a special teams assistant in 2020 for Arizona. He has an extensive background with NFL special teams, starting in 2009 when he was hired as a quality control coach by the St. Louis Rams.
Among Staley’s other hires to date are Joe Barry (linebackers), Jay Rodgers (defensive line) and Frank Smith (run-game coordinator).
Former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn reportedly will become the Lions’ offensive coordinator while Shane Steichen, the Chargers’ ex-offensive coordinator, is taking the same job with the Philadelphia Eagles.
