NFL reports confirm another LA Rams coaching hire in Jonathon Cooley

The LA Rams coaching staff continues to take shape as a report now names former Akron CB coach Jonathon Cooley as the LA Rans defensive assistant/QC coach

The full LA Rams coaching staff has certainly taken its sweet time getting here, hasn’t it? For weeks, Rams news about coaches had a strong slant to exiting coaches, and little to nothing about new coaches entering.  Thankfully, that trend is changing with reports that the team is adding Jonathon Cooley to the coaching staff.

We’d recently learned of the Rams hiring a new running backs coach, Thomas Brown, who was the former running backs coach from the University of South Carolina.  Soon afterward, the Rams hired on new special teams coordinator John Bonamego.  Right now, the LA Rams have announced an introductory press conference on Wednesday, February 12 at 11 a.m. pacific time, and it will be streamed live on the Rams’ Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channels.

The trend over new coaching hires continues with a new report out indicating that the Rams will be adding another coach to the staff. As we await confirmation, we can explore what this latest development means for the Rams heading into the 2020 season.

As indicated, Cooley has a good history and strong ties to defensive coordinator Brandon Staley.  As of February 11, 2020, his twitter profile seems to confirm the LA Rams connection. Another young millennial coach, Cooley has a history with the LA Rams as well. In 2019, Cooley was selected by the NFL for 2019 Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship with the Los Angeles Rams. A collegiate coach since 2011, he has primarily coached defensives backs over the past nine seasons.

Now aligned as defensive assistant/quality control under Brandon Staley, he will help transform the Rams defense for 2020. The Rams had been primarily an analog defense under former defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.  Under Staley, and now Cooley, the Rams will likely invest more energy generating and consuming analytics data to aid the team clean-up defensive trouble-spots, as well as aid in the game planning efforts on a week-to-week basis.

Cooley’s role will likely parallel that of Thad Bogardus, who remains an assistant defensive line/defensive quality control coach.  Cooley will fill a similar role but overseeing defensive backs.  One more coaching hire. One more name to remember. But most importantly, the Rams continue to add significant coaching talent to support their effort to win Superbowl 55.