Browns Blow it Again After Losing Former Packers O-Line Coach to Chargers
By Jackson Thompson
The Cleveland Browns are losing one of the most qualified members of their coaching staff from last season.
Offensive line coach James Campen, who has had this position in the NFL since 2004, is leaving Cleveland to assume the same position with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky.
The Chargers are hiring former Packers/Browns offensive line coach James Campen for the same position, a source said. No one expected one of the longest-tenured O-line coaches in the NFL to be out of work long, and now he's not. He's won a Super Bowl... https://t.co/c30Q0cXH8U
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) February 4, 2020
Los Angeles will also be bringing in David Diaz-Infante as Campen's assistant offensive line coach.
The Chargers are hiring David Diaz-Infante as assistant OL coach, per source. Diaz-Infante most recently worked with the Jets as an assistant offensive line coach. Chargers OL coach Pat Meyer recently left for Carolina.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 4, 2020
Campen, who made a name for himself in this role with the Green Bay Packers from 2004-2018, is a Super Bowl Champion and has a history of turning mid-round picks into Pro Bowl linemen.
Campen only spent one season in Cleveland, as both an offensive line coach and associate head coach. His guidance ultimately led to a regression in the Browns offensive line from the season prior, but he was working with a unit that had lost one of its best starters in guard Kevin Zeitler in addition to the fact there were a number of other offensive changes.
The Browns opted to hire arguably an even more experienced coach by bringing in Bill Callahan, who has coached offensive lines in the NFL since 1995 and even boasts head coaching experience with the Oakland Raiders. One could argue Callahan is a superior hire, but the fact the Browns somehow made a guy like Campen a one-and-done in Cleveland is just about as classic Browns as it gets.
#Chargers coaching updates:
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) February 4, 2020
• Shane Steichen officially back as OC
• James Campen new OL coach
• David Diaz-Infante new asst. OL coach
• Alfredo Roberts moves from RBs to TEs
• TEs coach Rip Scherer now a senior asst.
• Addision Lynch from qual. control to asst. DBs
The Chargers, meanwhile, will look to pair Campen with the 29th-ranked offensive line unit from 2019 according to Pro Football Focus. The Chargers' 29th finish is six spots worse from the 23rd-ranked Browns unit that Campen led this past season.
However, who the Chargers' unit will even be protecting in 2020 is still a mystery.