The Los Angeles Rams have made it clear that the 2023 season is a retooling campaign for the franchise. While winning a championship is likely not in the cards, putting together the building blocks for 2024 is a strong priority for Sean McVay and company.
Luckily, the Rams still have some solid foundational pieces, including McVay himself. The 37-year-old coaching phenom has built an incredible resume as the leader of the Rams franchise, including a Super Bowl championship in 2022 and several postseason appearances.
So even though the team is not in ideal shape, McVay is still seen as the cream of the crop when it comes to head coaches in the NFL.
In fact, in their annual head coach rankings, Pro Football Focus put McVay in the No. 6 overall spot, discussing his resume and abilities as the reason.
It might be tough to look at the current state of the Rams’ franchise and think McVay should be in this spot over a handful of other worthy coaches, but this is still Sean McVay. In his first two seasons as a head coach, he came into the spotlight and turned a Jared Goff-led offense into a group that ranked in the top 10 in rushing, passing and overall expected points added per play.
Los Angeles lost the Super Bowl in 2018 but won its second crack at it in 2021. It’s been an incredibly impressive six seasons for McVay as a head coach. This year could be a major factor in how much longer he’ll have the headset on after retirement rumors swirled this past offseason.
Regardless of the makeup of the Rams roster, McVay is still undoubtedly one of the league’s elite coaches. And while this roster may be his biggest test, his measuring sticks for success will also be different than ever before.
Rather than wins and losses, McVay will likely be judged on his ability to develop and get the most out of the team’s younger pieces. This includes second-round offensive lineman Steve Avila. If the Rams finish the season under .500, but have a strong grasp on their building blocks for next season, McVay can certainly chalk up 2023 as a win.
Complete PFF top 10
Below is the complete top 10 head coaches ranking by Pro Football Focus:
1. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
2. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
3. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
5. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
6. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
7. Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars
8. Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles
9. Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills
10. Brian Daboll, New York Giants
