Chargers DC Hill bolts to rejoin Dolphins’ Fangio

10:39 AM ET

Lindsey ThiryESPN
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- Covered Rams for two years for Los Angeles Times
- Previously covered the Falcons
- Has covered the NBA and college football and basketball

COSTA MESA, Calif. — Chargers defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill is leaving Los Angeles to reunite with Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

Fangio on Monday confirmed Hill’s addition to Miami’s defensive staff but didn’t comment on his specific role. A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Hill will be the Dolphins’ defensive pass-game coordinator.

“First and foremost, Renaldo’s a good coach,” Fangio said Monday. “Really, a talented coach with a bright future in the NFL. He worked with us for two years in Denver, so his familiarity with me and the system and what we do was important to me. But regardless of that, just his ability to be a great coach is what attracted me to him.”

The Chargers will promote secondary coach Derrick Ansley to defensive coordinator and Tommy Donatell to secondary coach, a source confirmed to ESPN. NFL Network first reported the promotions.

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley is expected to continue to call plays.

Staley allowed Hill, 44, to move to Miami out of respect for Hill and Fangio, whom Staley served as an assistant under for three seasons from 2017 to 2019 with the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos. Hill worked as a defensive backs coach under Fangio with the Broncos in 2019 and ’20.

Staley hired Hill as defensive coordinator in 2021 when the Chargers named him head coach.

Hill, who was a defensive back in the NFL for 10 seasons, played for the Dolphins from 2006 to ’08. He also was an assistant defensive backs coach with the Dolphins in 2018.

Ansley, 41, spent the past two seasons as the Bolts’ secondary coach. This will be his first opportunity as an NFL defensive coordinator, a position he held at the University of Tennessee for two seasons.

Over the past two seasons, the Chargers’ defense has ranked 26th in the NFL, allowing an average of 24.79 points per game. Last season, the Chargers appeared to make significant strides down the stretch as the unit improved from allowing an average of 22.6 points (ranked 21st) to 15 points (ranked third) over their last five contests.

Hill’s departure is the latest shake-up to the Chargers’ coaching staff. Los Angeles’ 10-7 season ended with a disappointing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a wild-card playoff game during which they blew a 27-point lead. The Chargers fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and replaced him with former Dallas Cowboys coordinator Kellen Moore. They also are in the process of hiring Doug Nussmeier to their offensive staff, sources told ESPN, after firing quarterbacks coach Shane Day.

The Dolphins officially hired Fangio as their new defensive coordinator last week.

ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques contributed to this report.