The Los Angeles Chargers have looked relatively lackluster on defense over the past three weeks. They let a rookie in Jaxson Dart extend plays and rack up nearly 200 rushing yards. They got embarrassed by Jayden Daniels and the Commanders. And let’s not forget the performance against the Dolphins — a team that looks like it’s coming apart at the seams.
With all that considered, is there a chance that Jesse Minter is falling off the radar for a potential head coaching gig next season?
For the Chargers’ sake, let’s hope so.
If other teams are looking at this recent three-week stretch and deciding that maybe Minter isn’t quite the hot candidate he was shaping up to be — that’s a win for Los Angeles. Because truthfully? Minter has done a fantastic job overall, especially when you look at what the front office has given him to work with.
What was the Chargers’ big “gift” to Minter after his success in 2024? A third-round defensive tackle and a handful of bargain-bin free agents. That’s what he got. No real investment. No blue-chip help. Just scraps.
If Minter sticks around for another offseason in LA, the organization and the fans should be grateful. But this team has to stop asking him to perform miracles with what amounts to a duct-taped defense. Take a defensive tackle or edge rusher in the first round. Draft a corner or linebacker in the second. Just give the man some actual talent to work with.
This isn’t a knock on the current players. But outside of Derwin James — and a past-prime Khalil Mack — who on this defense was a top-tier investment? If you have to go back to Mack’s draft class to find your last blue-chip defensive player, that’s a massive indictment of your priorities over the last five years.
So let teams overlook Jesse Minter. Let them chase the next big name. Let him fly under the radar a little longer.
Because if the front office finally invests in his side of the ball, the results will speak for themselves.
But for now, Minter doesn’t have time to worry about coaching vacancies or offseason hypotheticals. His job is to figure out how to slow down Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts.
And based on how the last few weeks have gone — that might be his toughest challenge yet.