Rams Coaching Staff:
*-New Hires
Sean McVay: Head Coach
Raheem Morris: Defensive Coordinator
Raheem Morris was a candidate for both the Colts and the Broncos head coaching positions. Now that those are filled he will likely return to the Los Angeles Rams as DC
*Mike LaFleur: Offensive Coordinator
Mike LaFleur cut his teeth on the Kyle Shanahan staff. Most recently, he was the offensive coordinator with the Jets for the last two seasons. This is an apparent play by McVay to inject some of the more current Shanahan schemes into his own, especially in the run game as the Staley/Fangio system proliferates the NFL.
*Chase Blackburn: Special Teams Coordinator
McVay broke from his recent streak of hiring deeply experienced special teams coordinators. John Bonemego and Joe Decamillis both had more than 25 years of coaching experience before joining the Rams. Chase Blackburn has six years under his belt as a coach. This shouldn’t be seen as a bug but as a feature. Youth has a way of shaking things up by trying new approaches. Blackburn most recently worked for the Titans for one season and for the Panthers before that.
Blackburn played in the NFL for 10 seasons, winning two Super Bowl rings with the Giants. This should make for some conversations between him and the former Patriot and new Rams offensive line coach; Ryan Wendell
Offensive Coaching Staff:
Zac Robinson: Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
Zac Robinson was a candidate for the OC position with the Chargers and Ravens. He will likely return to the Rams
Eric Yarber: Wide Receivers Coach
Eric Yarber is one of the more senior members of the Rams coaching staff and might be one of the more underrated contributors. He has 11 years as an NFL coach and 6 as a WR coach.
*Nick Caley: Tight Ends Coach
Nick Caley had been with the New England Patriots staff since 2015 much of which was as a tight ends coach. He has two Super Bowl rings from his time there. He is also an alum of John Carroll University.
*Ron Gould: Running Backs Coach
Ron Gould has over 30 years of coaching experience, most recently he was promoted to associate coach/ running backs coach of the San Diego Aztecs. Although he wasn’t in that role for long. He accepted the job in early February and announced that he was leaving less than a month later to take the job with the Rams.
He is yet another member of the Rams coaching staff that has head coaching experience. Gould headed up the UC-Davis team from 2013-2016
*Ryan Wendell: Offensive Line Coach
Ryan Wendell joins the Rams from the Buffalo Bills staff where he worked as the assistant OL coach under Aaron Kromer, the Rams OL coach from 2018-2020. He also played on the Patriots offensive line from 2008-2015, earning a Super Bowl title with the team in 2013.
Zak Kromer: Assistant Offensive Line Coach
Son of Aaron Kromer. Six seasons with the Rams.
Jay Gruden: Offensive Assistant
Jay Gruden was the last coach McVay worked for before becoming a head coach in 2017. Gruden joined the Rams staff as an offensive consultant shortly before the 2022 season. These consultant positions are an interesting trend in the NFL lately.
Nick Jones: Offensive Assistant
Jake Peetz: Offensive Assistant
Defensive Coaching Staff:
*Jimmy Lake: Assistant Head Coach
Jimmy Lake and Raheem Morris worked together in Tampa Bay before and during Morris’ head coaching stint with the team. After that, Lake worked his way up the coaching ranks at the University of Washington and was named head coach of the program in 2020. He was dismissed mid-way through the 2021 season after a 4-5 record and amid two allegations of assaulting members of the team.
Now that the Rams have hired Joe Coniglio as outside linebacker coach, Lake will likely serve as a right-hand man for Raheem Morris. Having a coach with so much experience as a swiss army knife is a big boon to the defensive staff.
Eric Henderson: Defensive Line Coach/ Run Game Coordinator
Another Veteran coach on the staff that doesn’t get enough credit. Eric Henderson has 10 seasons of coaching experience and is heading into his fourth season with the Rams
*Andrew Carter: Assistant Defensive Line Coach
Andrew Carter has one year of NFL coaching experience. He was with the Denver Broncos last season as a quality control coach. He also worked as a graduate assistant at the University of Kansas. He also coached at Hampton University and Eastern Illinois.
*Aubrey Pleasant: Defensive Backs/Passing Game Coordinator
Aubrey Pleasant is re-joining the Rams staff after almost two seasons with the Lions. He was fired after a Week 8 loss.
Chris Shula: Defensive Backs Coach
Chris Shula and McVay go all the way back to their college days at Miami (OH). He has been on the Rams staff since McVay was first hired. He is currently in consideration for the Eagles Defensive coordinator position. And I am contractually obligated to mention he is, in fact, the grandson of Don Shula. He was also the defensive coordinator for John Carroll University in 2014
*Mike Harris: Assistant Defensive Backs Coach
Most recently coached safeties at John Carroll (Brandon Staley coached defensive backs there too) He was an offensive assistant with the Bears from 2019-2021.
Chris Beake: Linebackers Coach
Chris Beake has 24 years of NFL coaching experience. He was last with the Bronocs in multiple different positions between 2013-2021. This is his second season with the Rams.
*Joe Coniglio: Outside Linebackers Coach
This could be one of the most important hires the team could make. The position group is the most unsettled with the current players on the roster. There isn’t much depth behind Leonard Floyd and there is a ‘none zero’ chance that the Rams could move on from him. They will be looking to add edge talent through the draft and trades. Joe Coniglio will play a big role in that process.
Coniglio and McVay played on the same Miami (OH) Redhawks football team from 2005-2007. Coniglio has the sixth most sacks in school history with 19.5. After graduating in 2009, Coniglio started his coaching career with Kent State. He spent over five years coaching under Jim Fleming at the University of Rhode Island. He returned to Kent State, then accepted a job in 2021 at the Naval Academy as outside linebackers coach and was promoted in January of 2023 adding ‘special teams coordinator’ to his title before being hired by the Rams.
Special Teams/ Coaching Fellow
Jeremey Springer: Special Teams Assistant
KJ Black: Coaching Fellow
K.J. Black joined the Rams coaching staff in 2022 after coaching at Florida A&M. He also played quarterback at Western Kentucky and Prairie View A&M. Former Rams coach and newly minted Panthers offensive coordinator, Thomas Brown was a big reason why the Rams hired Black, per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue
He is a part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. Its mission is to increase the number of full-time NFL minority coaches within the league while exposing fellows to the methods and philosophies of an NFL coaching staff.
Departed Coaches from the 2022 Staff:
Liam Coen: Kentucky Offensive Coordinator
Kevin Carberry: Saints Assistant Offensive Line Coach
Thomas Brown: Panthers Offensive Coordinator
Ra’Shaad Samples: Arizona State Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach
Greg Olson: Seahawks Quarterbacks Coach
Jonathan Cooley: Panthers Defensive Backs Coach
Thad Bogardus: Former Rams Outside Linebackers Coach
Skyler Jones: Former Rams Assistant Defensive Line Coach
Lance Schulters: Former Rams Defensive Assistant
