Gus Bradley agrees to become Chargers defensive coordinator
Gus Bradley didn’t take long to find work following his firing as head coach in Jacksonville, agreeing to become the Chargers defensive coordinator on Friday
Gus Bradley didn’t find much luck as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Coming into the 2016 NFL season, the hope was that the team would make a leap under Bradley. Instead, they underperformed immensely. With the team locked in to yet another top-five pick in the draft, Bradley didn’t last the entire season as he was fired in Jacksonville. However, the playoffs haven’t even subsided and Bradley already has a nice gig.
On Friday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Bradley had agreed to become the new defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers. This comes after the Chargers chose to bring in a new coaching regime, firing Mike McCoy and hiring former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator and interim head coach Anthony Lynn.
As Schefter also notes, Bradley was one of the most sought-after defensive minds available for hire. With this move for him to move to LA with the Chargers, now other teams can move on with their searches. However, they might not be able to find someone with the prowess and potential of Bradley:
Former Jaguars HC Gus Bradley has agreed to become DC for then Los Angeles Chargers, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 21, 2017
Gus Bradley was big defensive coordinator domino multiple teams were waiting on. Now that he's a Charger, other teams will move quick.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 21, 2017
Despite not winning more than five games in a single season as the head coach for the Jaguars, Bradley’s defensive mind is undeniable. Even with holes in the defense and a slew of young players to develop in 2016, Bradley still had Jacksonville’s defense performing respectably. In fact, they finished as the 13th team in the league in terms of defensive DVOA, per Football Outsiders.
Next: Every NFL Team's Biggest Draft Whiff Of All-Time
Bradley now enters an interesting situation in San Diego where he again has some talented pieces, but also glaring holes. Sure, he has a budding star in Joey Bosa and a player in the secondary like Casey Hayward to work with, but there are still plenty of shortcomings as well. With that said, the Chargers got their guy and someone who should do well as he goes back to being a coordinator as opposed to a head coach.