The Los Angeles Rams coaching staff for the 2023 season is finally starting to take shape as the team has hired a slew of people in recent weeks.
With Sean McVay returning as head coach for next season, he got to work immediately filling out his staff. He brought on Mike LaFleur as his new offensive coordinator, while he gets some stability on the defensive side as Raheem Morris will return as the team’s defensive coordinator. Los Angeles also found a new special teams coordinator recently as they’ve agreed to terms with Chase Blackburn.
Outside of the primary coordinator positions, the Rams have begun filling other vacancies. For example, they hired Ryan Wendell to serve as the new offensive line coach and also brought back Aubrey Pleasant to serve as the defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator.
It seems L.A. is making another hire as they are bringing in Navy assistant Joe Coniglio to be their new outside linebackers coach. Coniglio expressed his excitement to be joining the NFL coaching ranks with the Rams via Bill Wagner of Baltimore Sun:
“It’s been a dream and a goal of mine to coach in the NFL. I am getting the opportunity to be a position coach when I first get there, which does not happen often. I thought this was an opportunity I could not turn down,” Coniglio told the Sun.
McVay has a longstanding relationship with Coniglio as the two both played for Miami (Ohio) and were roommates during their time there. Coniglio has been with Navy since 2021, initially serving as a defensive assistant before being promoted to outside linebackers coach in 2022.
The role with the Rams opened up when the team decided to part ways with Thad Bogardus earlier in the offseason, so now Coniglio gets a chance to come in and show what he can do at the pro level. Although he lacks the kind of experience most teams would prefer with that position group, McVay has proven he has a knack for finding coaching talent at the collegiate level.
The outside linebacker group for the Rams was underwhelming during the 2022 campaign. Leonard Floyd is the mainstay starter for the team next year, but there’s a clear need for someone opposite of him who can generate pressure. Finding Floyd’s complement should be a priority for the Rams this offseason, but it’ll be up to Coniglio to coach them up and get the necessary production out of them.
