The Los Angeles Chargers promoted Derrick Ansley to defensive coordinator, one of a handful of coaching changes announced Monday.
Ansley, 41, spent the past two seasons in Los Angeles coaching the secondary, and the Chargers ranked fourth in the AFC in passing defense in that span.
Before joining the Chargers, Ansley was defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach at the University of Tennessee. He also coached defensive backs at Alabama from 2016-17, and the Crimson Tide ranked No. 1 in the nation in total defense and scoring defense in both seasons.
The Chargers also interviewed outside the organization before hiring Ansley. New England Patriots defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington and University of Houston defensive coordinator Doug Belk were among the coaches to interview.
The team also announced the addition of Jeff Howard (linebackers), Robert Muschamp (defensive quality control) and Doug Nussmeier (quarterbacks) to the coaching staff. Tom Donatell was promoted to passing game coordinator/secondary coach.
Most recently, Howard was the passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach for the Cleveland Browns. Muschamp spent the past two seasons with national champion Georgia in a defensive quality control capacity. And Nussmeier, who played five seasons in the NFL, has 22 years of coaching experience, most recently spending three seasons as quarterbacks coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Donatell was the Chargers’ assistant secondary coach the past two seasons.
–Field Level Media