LA Chargers: 3 options to replace Gus Bradley as defensive coordinator

Gus Bradley is departing from the LA Chargers and joins the Las Vegas Raiders coaching staff.

Gus Bradley’s tenure with the LA Chargers is officially over as the Las Vegas Raiders hired Bradley to be their defensive coordinator. While there were no official reports of Bradley being fired after Anthony Lynn was fired, many expected the front office to clean house, so the fact that Bradley is leaving was not a surprise.

Bradley’s legacy in LA is an interesting one. He did help pilot some really good Charger defenses but at the same time was also the sole beneficiary of really good talent. It is hard to screw up a defense that has Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, Derwin James, Casey Hayward and a breakout year from Desmond King.

While the Chargers consistently ranked in the top-10 in yards allowed, Bradley’s defense was often not as good as the numbers indicated. Bradley’s biggest problem was his failure to make adjustments. Once teams cracked the zone it was all-but over. We all remember the embarrassing playoff loss to the New England Patriots.

This also came back to bite the team at the end of games. Too often the Chargers would play cushion coverage during other team’s two-minute drives, allowing them to march down the field and at the very least get in field-goal range.

That is why the Chargers allowed a score in every single overtime drive this season. Kansas City, New Orleans and Las Vegas all kicked field goals.

The search for a new defensive coordinator is officially underway and more likely than not it will be someone who has connections to the new head coach. It likely is not going to be someone moving laterally, like how Bradley is moving laterally to Vegas.

Here are three names that I would store in the memory bank that would be valuable to bring in.