The 5 best defensive coordinators in the history of the LA Chargers

Some NFL teams are known for consistently building a top defense in the league to pilot them to success. The LA Chargers are not one of those teams.

There have not been many great defenses throughout the history of the Chargers. The team has only finished in the top three in points allowed six times in the sixty-plus-year history of the franchise; three of those years came during the AFL days, where the Chargers didn't have a defensive coordinator.

Thus, creating a list of the best defensive coordinators in Chargers' history is much tougher than creating the list of best offensive coordinators. Alas, each of these coaches still deserves their flowers.

The 5 best defensive coordinators in LA Chargers history

5. Ron Rivera

Ron Rivera makes the list as the No. 5 ranked defensive coordinator in franchise history solely because there are not many great defensive coordinators to pick from. That is not to say that Rivera did a bad job, because he certainly didn't, but he only spent two years as the defensive coordinator of the team after being a long-time defensive assistant.

The Chargers certainly had defensive success in those two seasons but they were far from being the '85 Bears. In 2009 the Chargers were right around league average as they ranked 16th in yards allowed and 11th in points allowed. Those numbers improved in 2010 as Rivera's defense ranked first in yards allowed and 10th in points allowed.

Rivera's 2010 defense is one of just four in franchise history to finish with the fewest yards allowed and is the only Chargers defense in the last 50 years to rank first in yards allowed and within the top 10 in points allowed.

4. Bill Arnsparger

Bills Arnsparger only spent three seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Chargers. After being the only defensive coordinator in franchise history to make the Super Bowl, Arnsparger resigned from coaching due to a prostate cancer surgery he had the year before. Arnsparger would go on to live another 21 years, passing away in 2015.

The 1991 Chargers were not the definition of a defensive menace as they ranked 21st in the league (out of 28 teams at the time) in points allowed per game. That instantly flipped under Arnsparger, who led the Chargers to be the fourth-ranked defense in the league in his first year.

The Chargers would rank 12th in 1993 and ninth in 1994. Arnsparger's defense may not have been a historic elite defense, but it was more than good enough to aid in the team's playoff success in the mid-1990s.

3. Wade Phillips

The Chargers may have been known for their offensive firepower during Wade Phillips' tenure from 2004 through 2006 but without a strong defense, the Bolts would not have nearly as successful.

The year before Phillips was hired the Chargers ranked 31st in the league, allowing 27.6 points per game. San Diego ranked in the bottom third of the league in three of the four seasons since the turn of the century before Phillips was hired.

With Phillips calling the defense, the Chargers improved to the 11th-ranked defense in the league, allowing just 19.6 points per game. The Chargers would never have a below-average defense in Phillips' three years and never allowed more than 20 points per game.

2. Gus Bradley

This may seem like an absurd addition to the list with how his Chargers tenure ended. Gus Bradley was not very popular in Los Angeles after he left the team in 2020 as the 2020 Chargers had a poorly run defense with Bradley's inability to adapt and change being at the forefront.

However, in hindsight, Bradley was miles better than the defensive mind who replaced him, Brandon Staley, and he actually has one of the most impressive resumes for a defensive coordinator in franchise history.

Bradley ranks in the top five in games coached for a DC and he has two of the most impressive defenses in team history under his belt. The 2017 Chargers are the only team since 1980 to finish in the top three in points allowed in a season. In 2018, the Chargers ranked eighth in points allowed and ninth in yards allowed.

As bad as his tenure was at the end, Bradley was the reason for the "JackBoyz" defense Chargers fans fell in love with. For that, he deserves his flowers.

1. Jackie Simpson

Jackie Simpson is the best defensive coordinator in Chargers history by default even though there were some bad seasons under Simpson defensively. The Chargers finished below the league median in points allowed in four of Simpson's seven years as the defensive coordinator.

However, there are also some wildly successful years that propel him to the top spot on this list. The 1979 Chargers had one of the best defenses in franchise history as the team allowed the second-fewest points and fifth-fewest yards in the league. Teams averaged just 15.4 points per game against the Bolts in '79.

1977 was also a successful year for Simpson's defense as the Bolts ranked sixth in the league in points allowed and yards allowed (and also finished with the fewest points allowed in franchise history,albeit in 14 games). In 1980, which was his last year with the Bolts, the Chargers ranked 18th in points allowed but sixth in yards allowed.

Simpson has the most games coached as a Chargers defensive coordinator with 104.

The top 5 defensive coordinators in Chargers history by games coached: