After a disappointing 2019 season, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay opted to shake up his coaching staff, bringing in a complete new set of coordinators.
The decision proved to be a good one as the Rams got back to the playoffs in 2020, finishing 10-6 and then defeating the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round before falling to the top-seeded Green Bay Packers in the divisional round.
While the Rams improved on both sides of the ball in 2020, one area that actually got worse was special teams. The downward trend on special teams started before this past season as in the final three seasons of John Fassel’s tenure as special teams coordinator, the team dropped from second to 17th to 23rd in DVOA rankings.
Fassel left last offseason to join Mike McCarthy’s staff on the Dallas Cowboys, and John Bonamego was hired as his replacement. The change didn’t create improvements though as the Rams ranked 30th in DVOA in 2020.
Because of that, McVay is making another change as according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Joe DeCamillis is being hired as special teams coordinator with Bonamego shifting to a new role:
Sources: The Rams are hiring the well-respected Joe DeCamillis away from Jacksonville to be their new special teams coordinator. John Bonamego is moving into a new role as a senior coaching assistant.
Really solid add here to a staff that's got good depth already.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 21, 2021
As Breer mentioned, DeCamillis is one of the most respected special teams coaches in the league. His NFL career started in 1988 and he has served as the special teams coordinator for eight different teams, which is a quarter of the league.
One of the Rams’ biggest issues on special teams last season was the kicker position, although they finally got that stabilized late in the year with the acquisition of Matt Gay. While some other changes will need to be made, it is good to see L.A. at least got the most important of them all figured out.
