It’s almost that time of year again. You know, the period of the offseason when NFL teams scour the Rams’ coaching staff for potential hires, either as head coaches, coordinators or various assistants.
The Rams lost several coaches last offseason, including Raheem Morris and Zac Robinson, and they’re likely to suffer a few more departures this coming offseason. Chris Shula is only in his first season as a defensive coordinator but he’s someone to watch, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
In his column on Wednesday, Fowler named Shula as a “sneaky name to watch in the carousel.”
One sneaky name to watch in the carousel is Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula. I hadn’t heard his name much earlier, but I did enough over the past week that it’s worth mentioning. I’m not sure what that means in terms of interviews, but people in the league are noticing his work and demeanor. And the Rams’ tree is usually appealing to teams looking to fill coaching vacancies. Green Bay coordinator Jeff Hafley is also a name that comes to mind here as another first-year NFC coordinator on the radar.
Shula’s defense got off to a terrible start early in the year, but the Rams have really turned things around since their Week 6 bye. Since Week 7, the Rams defense ranks 12th in EPA/play with the eighth-best success rate (42.1%) in the NFL.
While Shula doesn’t have much experience leading a defense, he’s been on Sean McVay’s staff since 2017 and has steadily climbed the ranks on his coaching staff. It wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if Shula did generate some buzz in the upcoming hiring cycle, even if he isn’t hired this time around.
