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Chargers should hire defensive minded coach; here are 5 options

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:36 p.m. ET

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Dec 18, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia reacts as he leaves the field following the win against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. The Patriots defeated the Broncos 16-3. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Following the departure of head coach Mike McCoy, it’s time for the San Diego Chargers to find a defensive minded coach to lead the team into the future.

The Chargers have long been considered an offensive team and five of their last six coaches have been of the offensive mindset, though Mike Riley did have prior experience coaching both sides of the ball before coming to San Diego.

Quarterback Philip Rivers is nearing the end of his career and he shouldn’t be used as a guy who puts the ball in the air 40-50 times a game anymore. Instead, this team should be built around a growing young defense, led by Joey Bosa, who has all the tools to become one of the game’s most dominant defensive players.

The search for a new head coach is underway for the Chargers and they will likely bring in a slew of candidates. Here are five that they should consider for the opening.

The current defensive coordinator of the New England Patriots is going to be a head coach sooner rather than later. In fact, the Chargers apparently see that as they have asked permission to meet with him about their vacancy.

We regularly hear about the defensive success of teams like the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans (because of J.J. Watt) and Minnesota Vikings. How often do you hear the Patriots brought up in that conversation?

Well, we should hear it more often.

Matt Patricia has done a terrific job with the Patriots and has them, perhaps quietly, ranking as one of the league’s best defensive teams. He has worked his way up the ranks and has been under Bill Belichick since 2004. We may not like Belichick, but that can’t be a bad thing.

This guy needs to be at the top of the list as far as coaching candidates goes.

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Another name that continues to be brought up in relation to new head coaches is the Miam Dolphins’ current defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph.

Joseph has been a coach at both the collegiate and professional levels since 1999. This year, he has helped the Dolphins earn their first playoff berth since the 2008 season.

Joseph will surely get several interviews this offseason due to the “Rooney Rule” that requires teams to interview minority candidates, but it would be a big surprise if Joseph doesn’t land one of those positions.

Joseph worked with defensive backs with the San Francisco 49ers, Texans and Cincinnati Bengals before getting his shot as a defensive coordinator at the beginning of this season after being brought in by Adam Gase.

Dec 11, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin looks on before the game against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Lions win 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Another hot name during the proverbial coaching carousel will be current Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. His name was linked to a few jobs last year, which he interviewed for.

Much like Joseph, it would be surprising to see Austin begin 2017 as anything other than a head coach, but which team will land him?

Again like Joseph, Austin specialized in coaching the secondary before becoming a defensive coordinator. His coaching career dates back to 1991, and he’s been in the NFL, save for a one-year stint at the University of Florida, since 2003. He has coached defensive backs with the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Baltimore Ravens.

The Lions brought him in as defensive coordinator in 2014 and the Lions have gradually become a better defensive unit each year since.

Dec 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz during the second quarter against the Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field. The Washington Redskins won 27-22. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Jim Schwartz is working his way back to becoming an NFL head coach, and his name is on the hot list right now.

After just one year as the Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator, teams seem ready to give Schwartz an interview for their opening, at the very least. This season, the Eagles ranked No. 13 in total defense this season, so he certainly turned that unit around from a year ago, when it ranked No. 30.

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Would Schwartz be able to pull off the seam kind of transformation in San Diego? Perhaps. But fans would have to be able to get past his first coaching stint with the Detroit Lions, where he went just 29-51 in five seasons.

Jul 28, 2016; Spartanburg, SC, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott looks on during the training camp at Wofford College. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

The current defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers is sure to get a handful of interviews as well, and could very well come away with a job.

Sean McDermott has done a great job with the Carolina Panthers, where he has been the defensive coordinator since 2011. His name was tossed around a bit last offseason, but he’ll draw serious interest in the coming days and weeks.

McDermott worked on the staff of Andy Reid for many years with the Philadelphia Eagles where he was an understudy of Jim Johnson, widely considered one of the best defensive coordinators the game has seen.

This would be an interesting hire for the Chargers and though all of the names listed are good and would make sense, McDermott has been part of more than one team that has made it to the Super Bowl.