Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Sean Spence is officially an NFL coach, as he will become the Los Angeles Chargers’ new inside linebackers coach.
A third round pick by the team in the 2012 NFL Draft, Spence came out of Miami as a highly-sought after linebacker, but a serious knee injury derailed his career.
He spent 2012 to 2015 with the Steelers as an inside linebacker and special teamer before leaving in 2016 for the Tennessee Titans. Spence was briefly with the Indianapolis Colts in 2017 but before released.
He joined the Steelers for the playoffs in 2017 after injuries derailed that season at the inside linebacker position, with Ryan Shazier being the most notable injury.
Spence started his coaching career in 2023 as a special teams analyst with Western Michigan. Over the last two years, he has become defensive coach, starting as the linebackers coach in 2024 before switching to the edges coach in 2025.
After the Chargers hired Western Michigan defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary, Spence is now following him to the NFL to coach his natural position.
For Spencer, that is a rather meteoric rise from analyst to NFL position coach in just three years. Now, he gets to showcase what he can do as a coach with O’Leary under Jim Harbaugh.