Early Saturday night, the Chargers confirmed that they would be hiring the Defensive Coordinator of their cross town rivals, Brandon Staley. The former Rams DC was a first year Coordinator for the dominant Rams defensive unit which ranked at the top of the league. Even though Staley was not one of my personal top choices that I laid out in my previous article to take this head coaching job, I think the Chargers made a great pick in hiring Staley.

The Rams Defense was dominant in the 2020-21 season, and Staley will inherit a similar defense with the Chargers:

Despite getting lit up by Aaron Rodgers in the NFC divisional round, the Rams Defense was dominant all season long. Loaded with talent, the Rams defense gave up an average of just 18 points per game in one of the most competitive divisions in all of football. Playing in the NFC West, they had to go up against Russell Wilson, D.K. Metcalf and the Seahawks, while also having to match up with Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins and the Cardinals twice a year. They gave up an average of 281 yards per game and forced 22 turnovers throughout the year.

There are many similarities between the Chargers defense and the Rams defense. The Chargers have many playmakers on defense, as the Rams do. Defensive end Joey Bosa had a monster of a year with 7.5 sacks despite missing a couple of games due to his multiple injuries. Staley will also get a healthy Derwin James, who has proven that he is one of the best safeties in the league. James is truly a do-it-all player. He is a tough, physical safety who can stop the run and also take on the challenge of covering a receiver. Let’s also not forget about rookie linebacker Kenneth Murray, who notched 108 tackles this past season as a rookie and seemed to get better every game. The Chargers have plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball.

One of the biggest talking points surrounding the Chargers this past year were the blown leads and losses within one possession. One of the reasons the Chargers blew so many games was because of conservative play calling and the defense falling apart during crunch time. The Chargers offense this year was outstanding, believe it or not. The Chargers ranked as the 6th best passing offense and were in the top 10 of total offense. But, the same old problem kept on happening this past year. The Chargers would be leading by two possessions going into halftime, and in the second half they would surrender big plays and the defense would let whoever they were playing back into the game. Staley will offer a new point of view to this Chargers team and an especially refreshing perspective for the Chargers defense.

What does this mean for Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense?

Let me be very clear here, the Chargers offense last year was great. Like I said, the unit ranked top 10 in total offense and ranked 6th in the passing game. The Chargers and Staley will need an Offensive Coordinator who can help Justin Herbert develop into the superstar he is capable of becoming. My top choice for this job is Pep Hamilton. Hamilton was the Chargers quarterbacks coach this past year and helped Herbert develop into a rookie quarterback who threw for 4,300 yards and 31 Touchdowns breaking 8 rookie records. He also helped with the development of former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. I think Hamilton is the perfect hire for the Chargers Offensive Coordinator job and he will help Herbert’s development better than most other possible candidates.

Not long ago, I wrote an article on my Top 3 candidates for this hire, and Brandon Staley was not on my list. Bills Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll was my favorite for this job and I think he would have been the perfect choice, but this hire is honestly a great one. The Chargers needed to fix their defense. With so much talent on that side of the ball, they should be a top 5 defense in the NFL. They will be taking care of what they need to take core of with this hire, and we will see what the Chargers and Staley do for the Offensive and Defensive Coordinator jobs respectively, in the future.

My overall grade for this hire: A-

Almost 24 hours after the Chargers disappointing season came to an end, the Spanos family notified Head Coach Anthony Lynn that he would not return for the 2021-2022 season. In the 4 seasons that Anthony Lynn was head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, they only made the playoffs once, and lost in the divisional round to the New England Patriots that year. Lynn is one of the most respected individuals around the league, but his clock management skills and his conservative play calling lost him his job. Not to mention all of the blown leads and the heartbreaking losses that were decided by one possession.

The Chargers have a chance to make a splash this offseason and be Super Bowl contenders for years to come. With no shortage of talent on the roster, a future superstar quarterback in Justin Herbert, the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft, and money to spend in the offseason, this truly is a win now roster. With the right coach to further Justin Herbert’s development as a star QB and to lead this team, the Chargers will be a force to reckon with in the AFC. Here are 3 of the most interesting candidates for the Chargers Head Coaching job.

1. Brian Daboll

Brian Daboll should be at the top of the Chargers list of Head Coach candidates. The Bills Offensive Coordinator has helped his team to a 13-3 record this season and has helped quarterback Josh Allen look like a future MVP of the league. The Bills were 2nd in the league with 501 total points, only behind the Green Bay Packers. The Bills offense ranked 2nd in total yards with 6,343 and over 4,000 of those yards came from Josh Allen. Let’s not forget that in Allen’s rookie year he threw more interceptions than touchdowns, and now he is a legitimate MVP candidate. The big question the Chargers should be asking themselves is who can continue to develop Justin Herbert? Brian Daboll is the perfect candidate to do this for the Chargers. He will be a mostly offensive minded Head Coach, which could benefit Herbert. Brian Daboll would be the perfect Head Coach for the Chargers.

2. Eric Bieniemy

Eric Bieniemy is another solid option for the Chargers. The Chiefs Offensive Coordinator needs no introduction. He has helped Kansas City to the top seed in the AFC this season and to a Super Bowl victory last year. His offense has led the NFL in total yards with 6,653 yards, averaging 415.8 yards per game during the 2020-21 season. The Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs didn’t score quite as much as the Bills with 473 total points, 6th in the NFL, but the offense was still good enough to win 14 games. Similar to Brian Daboll, he will be an offensive minded Head Coach and I think he should be able to develop Justin Herbert decently well, but I don’t like the idea of taking an OC from a divisional rival who you face two times a year. Eric Bieniemy will get a Head Coaching job this offseason but if the Chargers don’t hire Brian Daboll, Eric Bieniemy is an excellent backup option.

3. Jason Garrett

I know what you’re thinking. ‘Are you serious? Jason Garrett is in your top three???’ Let me tell you why. Let me be very clear here: He is not the best coach on this list, but if the Chargers do end up hiring him, the fans need to slow down with all of their Jason Garrett slander. Let’s look at his Cowboys years. The Cowboys are one of the most difficult teams to coach. Picture this: You have an unusually hands-on owner who is also your General Manager. The fans hate you if your name is not Tom Landry or Jimmy Johnson. Dallas is a huge football market. They have high school stadiums that are as nice or nicer than some college stadiums. Greatness is expected, so it can be difficult to live up to that at times. Let’s take a look at Jason Garrett’s offensive ranks as Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys. He spent 9 years there and during this time period his averages were 24.9 points per game, good for 6th in the NFL. 365.8 total yards per game, also 6th in the league. 5.77 yards per play, 2nd in the NFL, and average passer rating for his quarterbacks, 94.9, 6th in the league. One can totally argue against Garrett that this past year with the Giants, his offense was ranked 2nd to last in points scored and total yards, but do the Giants have as much talent offensively than the Chargers do? Not even close. The Giants were without star RB Saquon Barkley this year as well. Jason Garrett needs a small market team with less national attention to help him be successful. For the Chargers fans out there, it would not be the end of the world if the team hired Jason Garrett. Sure, he’s not the best candidate out there, but he’s not as bad as you think.