By Jordan Long
Black Monday came and went yesterday for the NFL. There are now 6 coaching vacancies including the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the L.A. Chargers. These are attractive jobs because they are in the highest league of football, the NFL. Franchises are going to start a coaching search for their next Head Coach. There is one team that would be the best job, the L.A. Chargers.
The Chargers were a playoff team in 2018 and lost to the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round. They have taken a step back since then, missing the playoffs the last two years. This past season, they went 7-9 under Head Coach Anthony Lynn. This was an improvement from 2019 but it wasn’t enough for him to keep his job.
The Chargers job is the one that is the most appealing. On offense, they have one of the top young quarterbacks in the league in Justin Herbert. Herbert finished his rookie year tossing for 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns. He was able to read defenses and didn’t make the rookie mistake of throwing the ball into double or triple coverage finishing with just 10 interceptions. He is in the running for Rookie of The Year but may not win it. Herbert is only going to improve his game for years to come. Any coach would be excited to coach this team knowing they have a franchise quarterback to work with.
Besides quarterback, the Chargers have playmakers on offense. At wide receiver, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are fast wide receivers who can get open. When they catch the ball, they make defenders miss for large gains of first downs or longer.
The next coach of the Chargers can trust the running game to open up the passing game. The Chargers run the football with Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley. They both make defenders miss for 4 or 5 yard gains. That makes 2nd and 3rd downs easier. Both of them go out and catch passes from the backfield.
The defense is the area that needs work. Their defensive line can create pressure to sack quarterbacks and bat passes down. The linebacker core is average and so is the secondary. The secondary gives up way too many big plays for 1st downs or touchdowns. The next Head Coach will need to improve this team on that side of the ball.
The Chargers will start a search. They have pieces in place for the next Head Coach to work with. They weren’t that far from a playoff spot this year and could earn a postseason berth next year with their talent.
The last time the Chargers had a Head Coaching vacancy they hired Anthony Lynn who was an offensive minded coach. They could go that way and one name makes sense, Eric Bieniemy. He is familiar with the Chargers because he spent 8 years with Kansas City as offensive coordinator. Bieniemy coached against the Chargers twice a year.
The Chargers may think about a defensive coach. If that is the case they could be interested in Rams’ defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, and Indianapolis Colts’ defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
The only problem with all these candidates is they don’t have Head Coaching experience. The Chargers may look for a coach who has been a Head Coach in the NFL. The Chargers will take their time to find the next Head Coach but they are set up for future success. The only problem with the job is whoever takes it is expected to win now. If they don’t in the next 2 or 3 years, the Chargers will be back to the drawing board.
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