11 Best young coaches in the NFL
By Robert Judin
9. Gus Bradley – Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach (48-years-old)
Arguably one of the most liked coaches in the NFL, Gus Bradley’s rise to the head coaching ranks came relatively quick. It took him seven years to evolve from defensive quality control coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Bradley was the man behind the Legion of Boom mask with the Seattle Seahawks. In his last season as Seattle’s defensive coordinator in 2012, the Seahawks were No. 1 with 15.3 points allowed per game and No. 4 with 4,899 total yards allowed.
Of course, he might not have imagined his first head-coaching job would come with a team who only managed two wins the year before.
Still, Bradley has endured two hard-to-swallow years with the Jaguars with a combined seven wins. Now, he’s starting to see “his guys” come in and perform. More importantly, Bradley’s players are performing at a young age.
Jacksonville reached on Blake Bortles with the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2014, and so far he’s shown promise. Young offensive weapons like T.J. Yeldon, Rashad Greene, and Allen Hurns are going to shoulder a lot of responsibility.
The Jaguars’ defense finished in the bottom half of the league last season in just about every category, but there are high hopes for the 2015 season.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Dante Fowler Jr, tore his ACL in training camp and will miss the season. Newly signed tight end Julius Thomas is out until week four after having surgery on his finger. Safety Jonathan Cyprien is recovering from a broken hand. Defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks is trying to rebound after tearing his ACL last season.
With all of the obstacles Jacksonville is facing, Bradley could potentially coach his way into a better situation very soon. After all, there’s reason to believe the Jaguars might not even be in Jacksonville for much longer.
Next: 8. Kris Richard