Heading into the 2023 season, the Los Angeles Rams coaching staff under head coach Sean McVay will look very different.
While Raheem Morris is staying on after being passed over for the Indianapolis Colts head coaching job, the offense has already seen a change as Mike LaFleur is in at offensive coordinator after Liam Coen left to return to the University of Kentucky.
Several assistant positions have also been changed as the organization looks to revamp a coaching staff that can help McVay and the team bounce back from what was a failure of a 2022 campaign. The hiring process has begun in earnest as the team has reportedly added several new coaches, including a familiar face in Aubrey Pleasant, who is returning to serve as the defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator.
However, it seems McVay and the Rams are also targeting fresh help as they’re reportedly bringing in former University of Washington head coach Jimmy Lake, via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network:
The #Rams hired former University of Washington head coach Jimmy Lake to a spot on Sean McVay's staff, per sources.
Lake's title is TBD; he has mostly coached defensive backs, including with the Bucs and Lions from 2006-11 before returning to college.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 16, 2023
It’s an interesting hire for Los Angeles as Lake has experience with coaching defensive backs at the NFL level, though that position has been filled by Pleasant. That would help explain why his official title with the team is undetermined for now, though it might be best to assume that he’ll be working with that unit alongside Pleasant.
Lake got his start coaching at Eastern Washington where he worked as a graduate assistant before being promoted to defensive backs coach. After several years there, Lake found himself at UW for his first stint there before going to Montana State. He then made the jump to the NFL working with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions before returning to the collegiate level at Boise State.
Following his stay at Boise State, Lake returned to UW where he served in a variety of roles, eventually getting elevated all the way up to head coach. Lake served as head coach for the entirety of the 2020 season and half of the 2021 season before being let go after going 7-6. He was first suspended and then eventually fired for pushing one of his players on the sideline during a game.
It’ll be interesting to see what role Lake takes on with the Rams and who else they target to round out McVay’s staff.
