5 sleeper candidates who could be the next Chargers head coach

The hunt for the next LA Chargers head coach is soon to get underway, and there are sure to be many different candidates that fans fancy.

We know the top three targets in most Chargers fans' eyes are Jim Harbaugh, Ben Johnson, and Bill Belichick. You can put me down for Harbaugh and Johnson as my 1A and 1B; I think they'd both be slam dunks. The dream scenario is Harbaugh at head coach, at OC, and then Robert Saleh at DC, but I'm sure the football gods will not allow such things to happen. This is, after all, still the Chargers. Nothing can ever go the way it should.

I want to take a look at some of the other options that are going a little under the radar who I believe could actually be nice hires for this team; five to be exact. Here are the guys I think would be nice dark horse candidates to roll the dice on... if the Chargers absolutely had to go down that road again.

5 sleeper candidates for Chargers head coach:

Bobby Slowik

Look at what Slowik and DeMeco Ryans have been able to do this year with a very raw quarterback talent in CJ Stroud. The Ohio State standout is now looking like a top ten quarterback in this league with a chance to outright win the AFC South.

On the offensive side of the ball, Slowik, in his first year as OC, has facilitated the Houston Texans improvement from:

• 17 points per game in 2022 to 21.9 this season
• 283.5 total yards per game in 2022 to 353.7 this season
• 196.7 passing yards per game in 2022 to 253.4 this season
• 86.8 rushing yards per game in 2022 to 100.3 this season

Everything has gotten completely made over on the Texans offense, and now they're looking like they're going to be a contender sooner rather than later.

Bobby Slowik is obviously a significant reason for that with the offense he's turned in. He could very well be the next big thing in terms of offensive gurus with systems just about any quarterback can thrive in.

If you can get your hands on a coach or executive who's been in San Francisco with the 49ers the past five years, I suggest you take that opportunity. Everybody coming out of there these days seems to excel in their craft when they go to another organization. Slowik, DeMeco Ryans, Mike McDaniel, and even Robert Saleh with his defense are the most prominent examples.