In LA Rams News: Farewell LA Rams DC Brandon Staley

In LA Rams News: DC Bradon Staley has agreed to become LA Chargers HC Brandon Staley

The LA Rams hired Brandon Staley as the new defensive coordinator just 53 weeks ago. Today, the team has learned that they will be saying farewell to the former defensive coordinator of the team and saying hello to the new head coach of the AFC West Los Angeles Chargers.  While Staley is certainly deserving, the news will mean that the Rams coaching staff will be poached once more.

Staley will need to hire his own coaching staff from the ground up. That not only means that Staley’s position will need to be filled, but that the Ram will likely need to hire coaches who join Staley with the Chargers.  Since Staley is oriented on the defensive side of the ball, he will certainly look to hire an accomplished veteran coach as the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator.

Both Rams rookie offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell and rookie running backs coach Thomas Brown have been linked to a potential promotion in Staley’s coaching staff as a result.  And with strong ties to the LA Rams coaching staff, Staley could tap defensive positional coaches to join him with the Chargers as well.

Who will be the new defensive coordinator?

So who to trust as the new defensive coordinator? Well, the Rams will have no shortage of competent candidates, both internally and externally. Two names that absolutely jump off the page are LA Rams defensive line coach Eric Henderson and cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant.

Henderson is instrumental for the Rams defense, as he has sustained one of the top defensive line units in the NFL. Meanwhile Pleasant has been equally impressive in rebuilding the LA Rams secondary on the fly during the 2019 NFL season, to field one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL in 2020. In both cases, it was more than just building a dominating unit. It involved developing young players at a more rapid pace and to a higher level than their contemporaries.

As far as external candidates, there is no shortage of great coaching talent for the defensive side of the ball. The challenge will be finding a defensive coordinator who can sustain what the Rams built under Staley. Most defensive coordinators who arrive will have their own version of the 3-4 defense, and that will mean another change to the way that the Rams defend once more.

The Rams are certainly one of the NFL epicenters for new coaching talent.  Staley becomes the third coach under Rams head coach Sean McVay who has been hired on as the head coach of his own team.  He joins Matt Lefleur, current HC of the Green Bay Packers, and Zac Taylor, current HC of the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Rams are back to hiring new coaches to the staff, and will likely have more openings before the team hires replacements. The Rams have only been one day from playing in the NFL Playoffs.  Buckle up, folks, as this is a fast-moving wild ride.