St. Louis Rams Offensive Coordinator Search: Kyle Shanahan Tops On The List?

Through all the excitement of the divisional playoff weekend, many have put their teams’ battles on the backburner. However, while the Seahawks, Packers, Patriots, and Colts will be fighting for the Lombradi trophy, other teams, like the St. Louis Rams, are scrambling to fill coaching vacancies. With Brian Schottenheimer heading to greener pastures (literally) in Georgia, the Rams have joined a heavy mix of franchises looking for their next offensive coordinator. Who will fill those shoes?

Last time we checked in, the Rams had just received permission to speak with two of the top available names on the offensive coordinator market. Greg Roman was a casualty of Jim Harbaugh taking off for the University of Michigan, leaving the ground game expert open to pursue other opportunities. Kyle Shanahan was the other name on the list, reportedly stepping down as the coordinator in Cleveland after only on season.

Many expected Roman to be one of the top choices for Jeff Fisher, sharing a similar offensive “plan” and having battled each other for the last three years in the NFC West. However, reports surfaced yesterday that Roman was “expected” to join ranks with Rex Ryan, the soon-to-be head coach of the Buffalo Bills. While nothing is set in stone, the Ryan-Roman connection has some history behind it, likely moving the former-49ers ace coordinator out of the West and into the cold of upstate New York.

That leaves Kyle Shanahan as the only other confirmed Rams interviewee, which could be good news for those hoping for a drastic change in the St. Louis offense. Shanahan was raised under the tutelage of his “offensive genius” father, Mike Shanahan, and has excelled in his relative short NFL stint in adapting the offense to fit the talent on the roster.

As an offensive coordinator, Shanahan has had some undeniable success in the NFL. In his two years leading the offense in Houston, they finished both seasons ranked Top 5 in total yards and Top 15 in points per game. In his next stint, as the offensive coordinator in Washington, Shanahan moved their offensive unit from the 25th-best scoring offense to the 16th-best in the league by his second year with the team. After acquiring Robert Griffin III, his offense skyrocketed up the board, finishing the year with the 5th-most total offensive yards and averaging the 4th-most points per game. Even in his “down year,” following Griffin’s early return from injury and the 2013 circus inside the Washington clubhouse, the Redskins still managed to rank Top 10 in total yards.

According to NFL reports, at this point, Kyle Shanahan does not have any other interviews with teams. Moreover, the St. Louis Rams have not announced any other interviewees. As it stands, the decision appears to be between a) the creative, adaptive stylings of an up-and-coming offensive mind versus b) an internal promotion from within the Rams lower offensive coaching ranks, presumably hired to maintain the status quo in St. Louis.

There is still plenty of time left in the offseason for more names and more news to arise on the St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator front. However, presumably, Jeff Fisher and Co. would like to get “their guy” into the building before the scouting, pre-free agency, and pre-NFL draft discussions get too involved. That might be particularly true this offseason, where the bulk of free agent question marks and top-round 2015 draftees are likely to be on the offensive side of the football.