Ravens Insider: Ravens-Chargers connections go well beyond the Harbaugh brothers

[ExtremeRavens]

Harbowl week is upon us.

The Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers will meet on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” next Monday in the first coaching matchup between brothers John and Jim Harbaugh since 2011.

While the family ties between the teams on opposite coasts are obvious, the connections on the field and in the front office run deep. Here’s a look at the notable figures who have been on both sides of the matchup:

Front office

Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz: Before moving to L.A., Hortiz was a mainstay in the Ravens’ front office. He got his start with Baltimore as a personnel assistant in 1998, working in that role until he became an area scout. He then became a national scout for three seasons and later served 10 years as the Ravens’ director of college scouting. From 2019 to 2023, he was their director of player personnel.

Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander: Alexander spent 20 seasons with the Ravens, where he worked alongside Hortiz. He joined Baltimore in 1999 and worked as an area scout, pro scout and as a personnel assistant before spending his final nine seasons as the Ravens’ assistant director of pro personnel.

Chargers director of player personnel strategy Corey Krawiec: Krawiec also has a connection to Hortiz as he was with the Ravens from 2013 to 2023. He was a player personnel/analytics assistant for three years before being elevated to player evaluation and analytics manager for the rest of his time in Baltimore.

Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, left, talks to quarterback Justin Herbert. Roman was the Ravens’ OC for four seasons. (Kyusung Gong/AP)

Coaching staff

Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman: The architect of the offense that helped Lamar Jackson win his first NFL Most Valuable Player Award in 2019 was also the subject of much criticism from Ravens fans. Baltimore built the most productive ground game in NFL history but never had a commensurate passing attack and went 1-3 in the playoffs during Roman’s tenure, leading to his dismissal after the 2022 season.

Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter: A former college assistant, Minter coached his first four seasons in the NFL with the Ravens, advancing to the role of defensive backs coach in 2020. He later became defensive coordinator at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh and won the 2023 national title before becoming one of the first hires on Harbaugh’s Chargers staff.

Chargers senior defensive analyst Rick Minter: Jesse’s father was the head coach at Cincinnati from 1994 to 2003, where he employed special teams coordinator John Harbaugh. Rick Minter also had future NFL coaches Mike Tomlin and Rex Ryan on his Bearcats staff.

Chargers senior offensive analyst Marc Trestman: The 36-year coaching veteran and former coach of the Chicago Bears last served in the NFL as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator from 2015 to 2016 before being fired and replaced by Marty Mornhinweg.

Chargers run game coordinator/tight ends coach Andy Bischoff: From 2015 to 2020, Bischoff served as a quality control coach, offensive assistant and assistant tight ends coach with the Ravens. Alongside Roman, he helped develop a tight end room that included Nick Boyle, Darren Waller, Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews as well as fullbacks Kyle Juszczyk and Patrick Ricard.

Chargers offensive line coach Mike Devlin: The former NFL offensive lineman served as an assistant offensive line coach with the Ravens from 2022 to 2023 under the late Joe D’Alessandris. In that span, Baltimore ranked No. 2 in the NFL in rushing offense, averaging 158.3 yards per game.

Chargers running back Gus Edwards began his NFL career with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Players

Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy: The two-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots played one season with the Chargers in 2022. He recorded five sacks to help L.A. reach the playoffs, only for the team to blow a 27-7 halftime lead in a wild-card-round loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins: The Ravens’ 2020 second-round draft pick never quite lived up to the hype in Baltimore because of a series of devastating injuries. A knee injury in the 2021 preseason finale ended his second year before it began, and a torn Achilles tendon in the 2023 season opener robbed him of a potential breakout campaign. He signed a one-year, $1.6 million deal with the Chargers in the offseason and has been productive.

Chargers running back Gus Edwards: The 2018 undrafted free agent out of Rutgers became a fan favorite in Baltimore known simply as “The Bus.” In five seasons with the Ravens, Edwards rushed for 3,395 yards and 26 touchdowns. But he, like Dobbins, became expendable once the Ravens signed Derrick Henry this offseason and joined L.A. on a two-year, $6.5 million deal.

Chargers tight end Hayden Hurst: Perhaps best known for being drafted by the Ravens ahead of Jackson in 2018, Hurst spent two seasons in Baltimore before being traded to the Atlanta Falcons ahead of the 2020 season for the second-round pick that became Dobbins.

Chargers center Bradley Bozeman: A sixth-round pick in the Ravens’ heralded 2018 draft class that produced Jackson, Hurst, Orlando Brown Jr., Mark Andrews, DeShon Elliott and Zach Sieler, Bozeman played both center and left guard in 62 games (49 starts) across four seasons in Baltimore before signing a one-year, $2.8 million deal with the Panthers.

Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker: “Dicker the Kicker” briefly played for the Ravens during the 2022 preseason before ending up with the Chargers, where he has made 93.2% of his field goal attempts in three seasons.

Chargers safety Tony Jefferson: After spending his first four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, Jefferson signed a four-year, $34 million contract with the Ravens in 2017. He played a key role in the secondary from 2017 to 2019 and later rejoined the team in 2021. Jefferson worked as a scouting intern for the Ravens in 2023 under Hortiz but came out of retirement this summer to sign with the Chargers and currently plays on the practice squad.

Chargers cornerback Shaun Wade: Wade’s tenure with the Ravens was brief, but notable. After being drafted in the fifth round in 2021, he was traded just a few months later to New England, where he played three seasons. He currently plays on the Chargers’ practice squad.

Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still: He doesn’t have a Ravens connection, but Still was an All-Big Ten player at Maryland before being drafted in the fifth round and carving out a role as a rookie starter.

Chargers cornerback Cam Hart: The former Notre Dame star grew up in Baltimore and became friends with Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton when they played together for the Fighting Irish. Like Still, he’s secured a starting spot as a rookie.

Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon.

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