Greg

Roman

After reports the Chargers would bring Roman in to be on their offensive staff in some capacity, Rapoport now reports he will be their new offensive coordinator. Known for his successful running schemes, Roman spent time with new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco and most recently served as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator under Jim’s brother, John. Roman has found success with dual-threat quarterbacks, and while Justin Herbert isn’t the most frequent runner, the Chargers’ run game gets a boost with the hiring. The Chargers’ prospective lead back for 2024 will be a solid fantasy option.

According to Rapoport, the two sides are “working out details.” While it’s possible the former OC could step back into a coordinator role, the vague wording of the reunion suggests this will be in some kind of assistant and/or advisory role. Roman spent four seasons with Harbaugh in San Francisco, and last served as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator from 2019-2022. We’ll likely know more on the specifics of Roman’s hiring in the coming days.

This blurb has been updated from an original that incorrectly noted Roman had already been hired as offensive coordinator. We regret the error. Roman’s addition would be an interesting hire ... provided it’s not for OC. It would then veer into “concerning” territory for Justin Herbert. Roman, of course, worked new Bolts coach Jim Harbaugh from 2011 to 2014 in San Francisco, turning in an offense that ranked 11th in points per game in each of its first three seasons. What would make Roman’s hiring incongruent with Herbert is the fact most of his success has come with dual-quarterbacks. Colin Kaepernick, Tyrod Taylor, and Lamar Jackson all enjoyed fantasy success under Roman but are far from the mold Herbert is cut from. While Herbert has athleticism to spare, any Roman-type offense would have to look significantly different from what we’ve seen in recent years. Former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith enjoyed a resurgence under Roman in 2011 and 2012, throwing for 4,881-30-10 in 25 starts.

This one won’t exactly excite the Bears faithful. Out of the league in 2023 after being fired by the Ravens, run-minded Roman’s hiring in Chicago would arguably be a slight signal they might actually keep Justin Fields, though there is still very little reason to believe that would be the case. That would make Roman’s hiring for someone like USC’s Caleb Williams all the more uninspiring. Roman and Bears head coach Matt Eberflus have no previous career overlap. This one probably won’t happen. The Bears have also interviewed ex-Seahawks OC Shane Waldron.

This was rumored to have been in the works yesterday, it officially happened today. Roman has received surprisingly little interest this offseason, garnering just the one interview in the NFL. It’s possible he could look to join a college staff if the Commanders look elsewhere. The Commanders have cast a fairly wide net in their offensive coordinator search, but this would be sort of an odd fit given the whispers about how much wideouts dislike Roman’s offense. Washington has a stacked wideout corps that would, on paper, look to be something a coordinator would prioritize using.

The Commanders have a laundry list of candidates they’re eyeing to fill their offensive coordinator vacancy, with Roman being the latest. Roman and the Ravens parted ways nearly a month ago, but the Commanders are the first team to reportedly request an interview with him. Roman helped usher in the early years of Lamar Jackson, helping guide the Ravens to a 14-2 record in Jackson’s MVP season while setting a league record in rushing yards (3,296). A well-known whisperer of the mobile quarterback, Roman has also spent time with the Bills (2015-2016) and 49ers (2011-2014), coaching up the likes of Tyrod Taylor and Colin Kaepernick.

Roman’s first year with Lamar Jackson was transcendent, as the team finished first in offensive DVOA in 2019 and they kept defenses off-balance with run concepts that the league had not really adjusted to. Since then, it’s been tougher times in Baltimore. They’ve finished 11th, 17th, and 12th in offensive DVOA and haven’t had the same volume of rushing success despite some empirically good years. Roman should at the very least be snapped up as a coordinator by a college team, though there still could be some appeal for him in other NFL markets and there are plenty of other vacancies around the league at OC.

Harbaugh reportedly believes it was a “preliminary” offer and said, “We’ll just cross that bridge when we get to it” when questioned about it. Roman was under Jim Harbaugh at Stanford for two seasons (2009, 2010) as the team’s tight ends and offensive tackles coach, and would be a logical hire given his familiarity with the program. If Roman is to accept the job, it’s unlikely he would leave before the conclusion of the 2022 season.

“I plan on Greg being back,” Harbaugh said Monday. “I believe Greg plans on being back. It’s still early. We’re only three weeks past the season. I know things happen fast, for sure. But that’s the plan and I’m excited about it. Offensively, we’ve done some pretty darned good things here over the past three years.” Baltimore’s offense was hamstrung by a series of disastrous injuries, losing both its top running backs in the preseason, a host of defensive players, and Lamar Jackson for the season’s final month. Harbaugh said the Ravens offense would “choose our scheme direction wisely,” continuing basing the unit on Jackson, Mark Andrews, and Marquise Brown. Roman ran a more balanced offense in 2021. The Ravens posted a 53 percent neutral pass rate after having a 45 percent neutral pass rate in 2020. Jackson averaged 31.83 passing attempts per game in 2021, an increase of 6.8 over his 2020 average. More trust in Jackson as a passer was a very good development for Mark Andrews in 2021.

Roman’s interview will come after the Browns interview former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. Roman has time to interview in part because of the amazing work he’s done in Baltimore this year. The team earned a bye week on the heels of Lamar Jackson’s MVP-caliber season. Roman has a track record of quarterback success with Tyrod Taylor and Colin Kaepernick both posting career years under Roman. He would be an ideal candidate for Baker Mayfield and the rest of the Cleveland offense.