With Ron Rivera in Carolina, the Chargers need a new leader for their “No. 1 ranked” defense that was completely dominated by the Raiders and Bengals in December.
The team announced they were likely to interview two in house candidates: secondary coach Steve Wilks and linebackers coach John Pagano. 49ers defensive coordinator Greg Manusky has been mentioned as another possible candidate. (Manusky interviewed with the Cardinals on Tuesday.)
San Diego also announced they hired Rich Bisaccia as special teams coordinator. Bisaccia worked for the Bucs from 2002-2010 and chose San Diego over Tampa. (This could be where the Bucs’ low-coast coaching staff hurts them.)
It remains to be seen if the Chargers are more coaching defections. The team couldn’t say enough nice things about Rivera, but they are now potential competitors with him.
It’s believed Rivera would like to bring Chargers tight end coach Rob Chudzinski to Carolina as offensive coordinator.