Insider notes on Jim Harbaugh's personal touch with Chargers, David Tepper's locker room spy and CFL star Qwan’tez Stiggers' early impressions
With the first day of Shrine Bowl practice in the books from Frisco, Texas, there has been plenty of news and buzz outside of what’s happening on the field at the Ford Center. Jim Harbaugh is already winning favor with some of the players he’ll be coaching this fall, and we are getting clarity, if not final word, on who’ll be coaching the Washington Commanders this fall.
How Jim Harbaugh is getting along in the early days with the Chargers
Upon being named as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, one of the first things Jim Harbaugh did was reach out to many of his players via text. I was privy to some of the text messages in which Harbaugh said he looked forward to working with the players in the near future and left his phone number, asking players to contact him. I was not privy to whether text messages were sent to all players presently on the Chargers roster or just a certain few. As one source who shared the info with me quipped, if you’re on the Chargers roster but didn’t get a text from Harbaugh, it’s a major red flag!
The consensus at Shrine Bowl practices is something that’s been buzzing in the media a few days now – Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will be named head coach of the Washington Commanders once his run with the Lions is completed. The Lions play the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game Sunday, with the winner heading to the Super Bowl. Johnson has been the hot name from the coordinator ranks for more than a year now and could’ve had the Carolina Panthers job last year if he wanted it. This likely means Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, also a hot name when coaching vacancies opened up, will be on the outside looking in and won’t be a head coach in 2024.
Panthers owner David Tepper had eyes and ears in the locker room
On Friday, the Carolina Panthers fired offensive line coach James Campen, who had been with the team since 2022. The team’s offensive line struggled and could not protect Bryce Young, the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Many of Carolina’s blockers have not met expectations. I’m also told Campen made a few enemies within the organization, as he was the eyes and ears for owner David Tepper in the locker room. In fact, sources at Shrine practice Saturday told me that Tepper had more than a few people in the locker room who would report back to him on the goings on, which destroyed team chemistry.
Day 1 at 2024 Shrine Bowl: Qwan’tez Stiggers impresses
Cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers was one of the bigger and better stories from the West practice Saturday. One of my risers from the session, Stiggers grew up in Atlanta and is one of 13 children. He enrolled as a freshman at Lane College in 2020, but his father’s death caused Stiggers to experience significant depression, and he dropped out of college before playing a down with the football team. He then played in the Fan Controlled Football league two years later and signed on with the Toronto Argonauts last January. By the end of the 2023 CFL season, Stiggers was chosen as the league’s most outstanding rookie and named as an All-Star to the CFL East roster.
Less than a handful of players selected in the NFL Draft never played college football, most notably Eric Swann, selected with the sixth overall pick in 1991 by the Arizona Cardinals. If Saturday’s practice is any indication, Stiggers will join this elite group.