Casey Hayward

No. 4 San Diego Chargers

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:25 p.m. ET

Sports Illustrated, Andy Benoit/Sports Illustrated via MMQB

There’s the small matter of not knowing in which city this team will reside. There’s also the concern of why this job is even available. The Chargers have had a bad record the past two years, but they haven’t been a bad team. Under Mike McCoy, they had a well-honed offensive identify and one of the best passing schemes in the NFL. And McCoy’s defensive coordinator, John Pagano, has long been one of the league’s top in-game schemers. It’s too bad Pagano won’t have a full season with star cover corners Jason Verrett and Casey Hayward playing behind Joey Bosa. With those three, you can execute just about any blitz imaginable.

Injuries and a propensity for losing close games is why the Chargers have gone 9-23 over the past two years. In theory, some of those closes losses can be blamed on coaching … but only in theory. Put on the Chargers 2015-16 film and you see a team that looks a lot like the one that went 9-7 in each of McCoy’s first two seasons. On the bright side, this job comes with a ready-made foundation because McCoy did solid work. But that means it also comes with pressure to succeed right away—and in a new market, no less.

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Best Fit for San Diego

Matt Patricia, Patriots’ defensive coordinator

He’s the best defensive coaching candidate in a market that appears to be dominated by offensive minds. The Chargers have enough talent on defense to win right away.

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Casey Hayward

Jason Verrett

Los Angeles Chargers

National Football League