The Rams parted ways with Joe DeCamillis this offseason, choosing not to retain him as their special teams coordinator. He was the third coach to hold that title under Sean McVay since 2017, but the Rams are making another change.
They’re hiring Chase Blackburn as their special teams coordinator, bringing on the former NFL linebacker. He’s the Rams’ fourth ST coordinator since 2017, which is probably more than McVay would’ve liked to have.
Here are three things to know about Blackburn as he joins the Rams’ coaching staff.
1
He played 10 years in the NFL
Blackburn wasn’t drafted in 2005 but he signed with the Giants and wound up starting two games for them as a rookie that year. He remained with the Giants for eight seasons from 2005-2012, playing 113 games and making 36 starts during his time in New York. He finished off his Giants tenure with a career-high 98 tackles (six for a loss) and seven quarterback hits, starting all 15 of the games he played.
He then joined the Panthers in 2013 and spent two years with them, starting nine games and playing alongside Luke Keuchly and Thomas Davis.
2
He’s a 2-time Super Bowl champion
During his time with the Giants, Blackburn won not one Super Bowl, but two. He won rings following the 2007 and 2011 seasons, starting all four postseason games during the team’s second Super Bowl run. In the divisional round that year, Blackburn had a 40-yard fumble return and he also picked off a pass against the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
He may not have been a centerpiece of those teams but he does have some championship pedigree.
3
His special teams unit never ranked higher than 16th in DVOA
Blackburn has been a special teams coordinator for four years in the NFL. He was also an assistant special teams coach with the Panthers from 2016-2017 and with the Titans last year, so he’s been coaching for seven years total.
In the four years that he was the primary special teams coordinator, his units never ranked very highly in DVOA’s rankings. That’s not reason for concern, but it’s not the most encouraging set of rankings for the Rams’ new coordinator.
- 2018: 18th
- 2019: 31st
- 2020: 16th
- 2021: 24th
