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The Los Angeles Chargers did not waste any time in cleaning house following an embarrassing 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night, firing head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco. Change has seemed inevitable for quite a while with the Chargers, and Thursday’s game was apparently enough too force ownership to start making it.
Even though Staley did a poor job in his three seasons, he is only a small symptom of the organization’s overall problems. It all starts with ownership, and all eyes are going to be on Dean Spanos to do something that hasn’t happened with the Chargers in decades — making the right decisions in the hiring of a coach and general manager.
The most important thing will be finding a coach who can maximize the prime years of quarterback Justin Herbert. Let’s take a look at some potential options and rank some of the candidates that could be in line to take over.
1. Ben Johnson, OC, Detroit Lions. Johnson checks all of the boxes for a team like the Chargers. He is young, is an offensive coach and has spent the past two years building a top-10 in offense in Detroit around Jared Goff. Imagine what he could do with somebody as talented and gifted as Justin Herbert.
2. Brian Johnson, OC, Philadelphia Eagles. Another young offensive-minded coach who should get serious interest. He has faced some criticism for his play-calling in Philadelphia this season, but the Eagles offense remains one of the best in the NFL and he has played a huge role in developing Jalen Hurts in his roles as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.
3. Eric Bieniemy, OC, Washington Commanders. This will be another head coaching cycle where Bieniemy will no doubt be talked about as a head coaching candidate. He has helped Sam Howell become one of the passing yardage leaders in the NFL and has a strong track record as an OC. But he keeps getting passed over for jobs, and he also might be the in-house candidate to take over if the Commanders fire Ron Rivera.
4. Jim Harbaugh, HC, Michigan Wolverines. NFL teams should normally be wary of college coaches given how poorly so many of them do, but Harbaugh has an NFL background and actually took a team (San Francisco) to the Super Bowl. Michigan is trying to extend his contract, which could throw a wrinkle into any potential plan.
5. Mike Tomlin, HC, Pittsburgh Steelers. Let’s get bold here. This would require either the Steelers firing Tomlin (unlikely) or offering him up for a trade (not likely, but at least possible). The Steelers and Tomlin might be at a point where they both need a change, and even though his background is on the defensive side of the ball he would immediately bring the Chargers something they have lacked for decades — credibility.
6. Lou Anarumo, DC, Cincinnati Bengals. Yes, the Chargers need to get the most out of Herbert. But they also need to do something about a defense that has been one of the worst in the NFL for years. Anarumo is a highly respected defensive coordinator who could bring a fresh approach. The Bengals defense has disappointed this season, but it is dealing with a young secondary and a lot of injuries.
7. Kellen Moore, OC, Los Angeles Chargers. Moore has been a rising star in the assistant coaching ranks for a couple of years and was supposed to make a big difference when he took over as the offensive coordinator for the Chargers this season. He is still highly thought of, but being an in-house candidate and the lack of progress the offense should probably knock him down the candidate list.
8. Lincoln Riley, HC, USC. Riley is a highly-thought-of offensive mastermind and play-caller in the college ranks, and NFL speculation has followed him for a few years. He can never be totally dismissed as an option. But college coaches tend to fail spectacularly in the NFL and Riley has had some big issues in college with coaching in big games where he does not have a clear talent advantage on the field. All of those should be big red flags for an NFL team considering him.
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