The Los Angeles Rams’ coaching staff will be undergoing significant changes in 2023 as per the NFL’s transaction wire, they let go of offensive line coach Kevin Carberry, special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis, defensive backs coach Jonathan Cooley, assistant defensive line coach Skyler Jones and defensive assistant Lance Schulters.
Offensive coordinator Liam Coen will also not be back after returning to the University of Kentucky, and it’s possible the Rams lose defense coordinator Raheem Morris or tight ends and assistant head coach Thomas Brown as they interview for head coaching gigs.
Changes to the coaching staff are something that Sean McVay has become used to in his tenure with the Rams. He often has coaches poached by other teams, whether it be for head coaching opportunities like Zac Taylor, Brandon Staley and Kevin O’Connell, or coordinator opportunities like Shane Waldron, Ejiro Evero and Joe Barry.
What’s new?
This year’s overhaul is different though as all of these coaches that were let go in this recent round were not because they had other jobs lined up. The truth of the matter is that the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” league and the Rams are coming off a 5-12 season in which they struggled in every phase of the game.
While it may not be fair that some of these coaches that helped the Rams win a Super Bowl less than one year ago are now being let go, McVay clearly felt that changes were needed. The Rams head coach contemplated taking a break from coaching once again at the conclusion of the 2022 season before ultimately deciding to return.
Now that McVay is back though, he will need to learn how to find a better balance between work and home life and one way to do that is by having a better staff that can take on more of a load. It seems that McVay has realized that, hence the overhaul that will be coming with his coaching staff.
McVay will likely meet and interview candidates in the coming weeks, although some are beginning to emerge as potential fits for the Rams’ coaching staff
Names to watch for
With a number of coaches not coming back, some replacements have already begun to emerge for the Rams.
It’s been reported all over the place that former New York Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur is expected to join McVay’s staff, likely in the same role. LaFleur makes sense as a replacement for Coen considering he has a familiarity with McVay through his brother Matt. After struggling in his first offensive play-calling role in New York, he can benefit from learning and coaching with someone like McVay.
Two other names to watch out for are familiar faces Aubrey Pleasant and Evero.
Pleasant is currently a free agent after consulting with the Packers in 2022. He served as the cornerbacks coach for the Rams under McVay from 2017-20 and is very highly regarded within the organization, so could be a potential replacement for Cooley coaching the defensive backs.
Evero is one of the bright young coaches currently in the NFL and has been taking head coaching interviews of his own. If he doesn’t land a head coaching job and Morris does though, then he is likely the favorite to return to the Rams as defensive coordinator.
The 42-year-old was the Rams’ safeties coach from 2017-20 and took over as secondary coach and passing game coordinator in 2021. He landed the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator job in 2022 and actually did a really solid job despite everything else in that organization being a tire fire.
With both offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator jobs now open and defensive coordinator potentially to follow, McVay will have some big decisions to make in the coming weeks. McVay has done well hiring assistants in the past, and that could be the key to getting the Rams back into playoff contention in 2023.
