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

Arizona Cardinals Practice – LA Chargers

2. Al Holcomb

Just to be clear, I am not including a potential defensive coordinator selection for Arthur Smith. Smith has been with the Tennesee Titans for his entire NFL coaching career and there is no one on that staff with connections to Smith that excites me.

Smith and the Chargers would likely bring in someone else, who is reserved for the third and final spot on this list. The third coach would be an option for the team to pursue if they do not want to hire anyone with a connection to the new head coach.

If they hire Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady and he wants to bring in someone he has worked with then the best option is Panthers’ run game coordinator, Al Holcomb.

Holcomb has so much experience in the NFL and like Daly, is young enough to inject freshness into the Chargers’ coaching staff. The 50-year-old has been coaching in the NFL since 2009 and has been a part of some really good defenses.

His first stint was a four-year stint with the New York Giants. Holcomb was with the Giants team that won their second Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, largely because of their defense.

He then moved to Carolina and was the linebackers coach there for five years. Holcomb did a great job with the linebackers in Carolina, coaching a unit that consisted of Luke Kuechley, Thomas Davis, Shaq Thompson, A.J. Klein and so many others.

That defense was great because of its linebackers and Holcomb made his second Super Bowl because of it. He then spent two one-year stints with the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns, getting let go of both jobs as both teams underwent a house cleaning afterward.

Now he finds himself back in Carolina coaching alongside one of the most talked-about head coaching candidates in the league. If Brady gets a head coaching job somewhere then I would not be surprised to see Holcomb elevated to a bigger role.