With LA Rams OC Liam Coen back to NCAA, who is next up for Rams?

The LA Rams have not confirmed it. The University of Kentucky has not yet confirmed it. But for all intents and purposes, at the end of the 2022 NFL season, the LA Rams will lose offensive coordinator Liam Coen to the NCAA, as he is slated to return as the offensive coordinator in 2023, the same team and the same role that he had held in 2021.

Of course, the LA Rams offense has struggled throughout the 2022 NFL season. That could be a reason for Coen to be comfortable leaving the Rams organization after just one season as the team’s offensive coordinator. Because he is still under contract with the LA Rams, and the season is still going on, there is little to be reported just yet unless the Rams outright released Coen from his current contract.

More work for Rams OC

Since the Rams had added free agent quarterback Baker Mayfield, Coen’s workload has increased significantly. The Rams organization has historically tasked the offensive coordinator with the direct support of the quarterbacks on the Rams roster, and Mayfield’s arrival has required that Liam Coen focus on getting him up to speed with the Rams’ playbook

What was Liam Coen’s legacy with the Rams’ offense? At times he was an enigma, but at other times, he showed some panache. He never did get TE/WR Jacob Harris on track. And if not for the injuries assaulting the Rams receivers, we may never have known that WR Tutu Atwell is indeed an NFL-caliber receiver. But the injuries happened, and Atwell made the best of his opportunity.

The Rams’ offense struggled, yes. But far too many are willing to take the cheap route of just blaming someone and calling for them to be fired.  Unfortunately, the offensive problems on the team this year were complex and multi-layered, and will by no means be resolved just by firing someone. Instead, let’s pause a moment to appreciate the contributions of Coen to the Rams organization this year.