EL SEGUNDO — No surprises, Joe Hortiz said Wednesday, four games into his first season as the Chargers’ general manager. He said he has forged a strong working relationship with head coach Jim Harbaugh, been impressed with first-round draft pick Joe Alt and pleased by the team’s rapid transformation.
No question, Hortiz has miles to run before he can rest, and even then taking breaks doesn’t seem to be an option for him. The Chargers are 2-2 to start the 2024 season, which is one indication of how much work remains to be done before anyone can call them consistent winners.
Hortiz has taken bold steps to make over the Chargers in the image of his former employer, the Baltimore Ravens. Connecting with Harbaugh was the first of many tasks and, as it turned out, perhaps the easiest to date. After all, Hortiz worked with Harbaugh’s brother, John, head coach of the Ravens.
“I have a really good relationship with (Jim) and his brother,” Hortiz said during an early-season, state-of-the-team conversation with reporters, later referring to what he learned from Ravens executives Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta. “His brother, I worked with for 16 years. I consider John like a brother to me, I really do. I watched Ozzie and then Eric, the relationships they had with the head coach and how important it is. It’s important. It’s huge for a GM and a coach to exist well.”
Added Hortiz on the relationships between general managers and coaches: “Sometimes you have to work at it. We don’t have to work at this. This is like, we have the same type of vision and philosophy. We have fun. I really mean it. I’m brothers with John. I’m already brothers with Jim. It’s great. It really is. We’re having a lot of fun.”
Hortiz also is encouraged by the play so far of Alt, a left tackle who was the fifth pick in April’s draft. Alt was excellent in his first three games, going against standout pass rushers in Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1 and T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3.
Alt returned to the practice field Wednesday after sitting out the Chargers’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday because of a sprained knee. Alt and the Chargers are in the midst of their bye week, so it’s likely he and several other injured players will be sound enough to face the Denver Broncos on Oct. 13.
“I think he’s played good ball so far, but that’s what we expected,” Hortiz said of Alt, 21. “We really did. We knew we were getting a good player (with the fifth pick). With Joe, a great player. We believed it. It’s worked itself out so far. Keep the carrot in front of him. Keep getting better. Be the best.”
Hortiz also said he believed the Chargers were on track to become an equally successful version of the Ravens. He said it wasn’t difficult to instill the same sort of culture he learned while serving in various roles, including director of player personnel for four seasons before the Chargers hired him Jan. 30.
“Baltimore taught me a lot and every day I get to apply it,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but I got the job (with the Chargers) and I didn’t realize how much I knew because of Ozzie and Eric. I didn’t realize what was taught to me until I was sitting down in the chair and had to apply it.”
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EXTRA POINTS
Safety Derwin James Jr. returned to the practice field after serving a one-game suspension for accumulating too many unnecessary roughness penalties for illegal hits to the head. He said his suspension “ain’t going to change (expletive). I’m just going to go lower. I’m not going to change.” …
Linebacker Nick Niemann practiced with his teammates for the first time since training camp after starting the season on injured reserve because of a hamstring injury. The Chargers officially opened his 21-day activation window Tuesday and he was on the field for Wednesday’s practice.
