When Raheem Morris left the Los Angeles Rams to become the Atlanta Falcons’ new head coach, Sean McVay needed to find his replacement at defensive coordinator.
McVay has historically hired external candidates when filling vacant coordinator positions, but this offseason he bucked the trend by promoting linebackers coach Chris Shula. Shula and McVay are close friends dating back to their time together as college teammates at Miami (Ohio) and have coached together in Los Angeles since 2017.
This is the first season that Shula will act as a defensive coordinator in the NFL, though he’s been around the Rams’ defense long enough that the players should comfortable with him at the helm. Ernest Jones has worked closely with Shula since he was drafted and already believes that the latter will fit perfectly in his new role.
Shula got the chance to work more hands-on with the defense during OTAs and he was mic’d up for his first day as defensive coordinator, via the team’s official YouTube account:
In the video, it’s apparent how much Shula takes after McVay as he expresses plenty of excitement and enthusiasm and seems to get along well with the players. In the scrimmage portion of OTAs, Shula is seen multiple times leaning back and cheering after a play which goes to show how into the practices he can get. The video ends with McVay breaking down the huddle and Shula talking to players asking them how they felt they did.
Its’s early, but the returns on Shula are positive so far though the rest of OTAs and training camp are right around the corner. Currently, the Rams are expected to run a similar defense and system that they’ve been using for years though Shula will surely tinker with certain alignments.
The biggest challenge for Shula will be how he gets pressure on quarterbacks after Aaron Donald retired. Los Angeles invested in its defensive line during the 2024 NFL Draft, so it’ll be interesting to see how Shula navigates that challenge in his first year calling the defense.
Byron Young put on more weight, wants to become better closer for Rams
Byron Young was arguably the most underrated defensive rookie in 2023 as he was an impact player from Day 1 for the Rams. Young showed incredible speed off the edge and should take on an even bigger role in 2024.
Young revealed that he put on more weight this offseason with the goal of becoming a better closer for Los Angeles.
