The Los Angeles Rams surprised nearly everyone in the NFL after they finished the 2023 season with a 10-7 record and made the postseason.
Most predicted the Rams would use the year to develop their young roster after they let go of several key veterans the previous offseason, but head coach Sean McVay and his staff brought them up to speed faster than expected. Los Angeles had their pillars of Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald to help the transition but the development of the rookies and young players accelerated their rebuild.
While McVay greats plenty of credit for revamping the offense, Raheem Morris should get just as much for leading the defense. Morris was able to get the defense to steadily improve during the regular season and his work led to an offer to become the Atlanta Falcons’ new head coach.
With Morris leaving for the Falcons, he’s expected to potentially take members of McVay’s staff with him and one coach who could be joining him is Zac Robinson, via Adam Schefter of ESPN:
Rams quarterbacks/pass-game coordinator Zac Robinson will be a prime candidate to become Falcons HC Raheem Morris' offensive coordinator in Atlanta, per league sources. Morris will want to speak to multiple coaches about his OC job, but Robinson will be a strong candidate.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 25, 2024
Robinson has worked with Morris in Los Angeles for the past three seasons and is a logical candidate for the offensive coordinator position in Atlanta. Robinson’s got plenty of experience working underneath McVay and would be a valuable addition to Morris’ staff with the Falcons.
Morris isn’t the only person who wants to hire Robinson, though, as he’s interviewed with Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots for the same position. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also in the mix, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:
#Rams QBs coach and pass game coordinator Zac Robinson is being requested to interview for the vacant #Bucs OC job, source said. A potential reunion with Baker Mayfield.
Robinson is one of the busiest coordinator candidates with active interest from the #Saints, #Steelers,…
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 26, 2024
However, it would be fair to assume that Atlanta has the edge given Robinson’s familiarity with Morris and the young weapons on their roster.
It’s looking likely that Robinson will depart the Rams, meaning that McVay will have positions to fill on his staff. However, it’s still good to see people like Morris and Robinson get their shot to move up in the league.
Rams’ Kobie Turner finalist for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Award
Morris did well molding the young talent on the defensive end, particularly rookie defensive tackle Kobie Turner. Turner led all rookies with nine sacks and was named a finalist for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
