The Los Angeles Rams announced the full slate of additions to Sean McVay’s coaching staff, bringing in seven new faces after much of last year’s staff was poached. This includes Giff Smith (defensive line/run game coordinator), John Streicher (game management coordinator), Dave Ragone (quarterbacks coach), Chili Davis (assistant special teams coach), Greg Williams (inside linebackers coach), Rob Calabrese (offensive assistant) and Nate Scheelhaase (offensive assistant/pass game specialist).
The release also announces the promotion of Chris Shula to defensive coordinator. Shula was the inside linebackers coach and pass rush coordinator last season but got the promotion after Raheem Morris was named the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons earlier this offseason.
Morris brought coaches like Zac Robinson and Jimmy Lake with him from the Rams, leading to a high number of openings under McVay. However, this is not a new phenomenon in the McVay era, as he has routinely had to replace coaches with the Rams having so much success over the last seven seasons.
The Rams have always found a way to maximize their coaching staff and there is no doubt they’ll do the same with this group. Shula has already said that the Rams won’t be changing much from 2023, a defense that while young and inexperienced was able to drastically outperform expectations. Another year, more infusion of talent and the same scheme should give them a great chance to be successful in 2024.
The Rams’ several additions on the defensive side of the ball likely have that same philosophy. And on offense — where L.A. only has three new additions — the goal should be to look very similar from the huge success of last season. Mike LaFleur remains at offensive coordinator and despite a new quarterbacks coach, Matthew Stafford should be running a very similar campaign.
Finally, game management coordinator is the title the Rams ultimately settled on for John Streicher after announcing that they would be creating a new title for him when he entered the organization from the Tennessee Titans. This likely means he’ll be focused on situational things like timeouts and two-minute drills.
Rams’ Kevin Demoff advocates for Steve Spagnuolo to be a head coach
Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff advocated for Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to get another opportunity to serve as a head coach in the NFL after the Super Bowl victory against the San Francisco 49ers, the team’s third in six years.
