Another coach rumored to be joining Rams staff

The LA Rams seldom confirm singular positional coach hirings, preferring instead to fill all vacancies and then announce all hirings, promotions, and restructuring of the team's coaching staff simultaneously. But hat does not mean that the coaches themselves, or their agents, are obliged to remain silent. Such may be the case now, as rumors are multiplying that the team has hired an Assistant Special Teams Coach for the upcoming 2024 NFL season.

While few fans will get excited over the hiring of an Assistant Special Teams Coach, this offseason could be an exception. In many ways, the LA Rams special teams struggled mightily in 2023, and there is hope that the right synergy by adding a complementary coach could aid the team in turning the corner. One lesson hammered home repeatedly in Super Bowl LVIII is the difference a kicker can make in high-profile football games.

And so, before the team enters the 2024 NFL Free Agency market with a shopping list of positions to reinforce, or the 2024 NFL Draft with a wish list of starters to identify and select from the hundreds of college hopefuls, the team must first get its house in order by ensuring the right coaches are in place to welcome them, and prepare them to succeed on the Rams roster.

Right now, the coaching staff appears to be filling up, one hire at a time. So, who is rumored to become the newest member of the LA Rams coaching staff? None other than Kansas State special teams coach Chili Davis.

If rumors are true, then Chili Davis was not the only coach interviewed by the Rams for their Assistant Special Teams Coach Position. If you recall, the role was vacated by former Coach Jeremy Springer, who was surprisingly hired by the New England Patriots to become their new Special Teams Coordinator. There were rumors reported recently about the team interviewing ST Coach Ricky Brumfield for the vacated position. While Brumfield seemed to excel in many areas that would benefit the Rams instantly, he was not hired. So what can we dig up to share about the successful candidate Chili Davis?

I think you will like what we have to share about him.

What you need to know about the Rams Assistant ST Coach

1. III: Davis has 11 years of ST coaching experience
2. II: Coach Davis has plenty of energy and a vision for ST players
3. I: Coach Davis understands what it takes to succeed on special teams

III: Davis has 11 years of ST coaching experience

The first stop for any new hire is to assess their background. In short, what attracted the LA Rams coaching staff and front office to this candidate, and what do they envision in him as they add him to the team? Well, he has had a variety of coaching roles in his career, and has been one of the rising stars among NCAA coaching circles.

Davis began his coaching career in 2013 when he accepted a role as assistant to the head coach for the Campbell Camels. He had oversight as the video coordinator, as well as quality control for both offense and special teams. In 2015, he agreed to coach running backs for Louisiana Tech. In 2016, he became the cornerbacks coach for Fordham. In 2017, he was a graduate assistant coach for New Mexico State.

He remained at New Mexico State and assumed the role of coaching inside receivers and tight ends from 2018 through 2020. In 2021, he moved on to become the special teams analyst for the University of Washington. In 2022, he moved again, this time to Florida A&M, where he was their special teams coordinator. While there, he coached his kicker, Jose Romo-Martinez, and punter, Chris Faddoul, to earn conference honors and HBCU All-America honors.

Perhaps the key to it all is the fact that the 2023 performance of Kansas State's special teams was rock solid. The special teams were struggling to answer questions as the unit neared 2023. Well, those worries faded quickly, as Kansas State's special teams were truly special. In one game, the Wildcats blocked an extra point, which was scooped up by CB Keenan Garber and returned 91 yards for a defensive extra point.

That is the type of play that would electrify Rams fans at SoFi Stadium in 2024.

Okay, so the guy has a solid resume. But what about this man should get Rams fans excited? Well, he checks those boxes too.

II: Coach Davis has plenty of energy and a vision for ST players

When it comes to coaches, there are any number of versions of personality traits that can work. But for the LA Rams coaching staff, it takes more than just showing up, grabbing a clipboard, blowing a whistle on the practice field, and working on the whiteboard for an extra hour or two.

The tone for the Rams coaching staff is set by head coach Sean McVay, a guy whose passion for football has been reignited, and whose knowledge of the game is such that he never seems to fail at recollecting a play scenario from any game he has coached. He knows the down and distance, the play called, the defensive tactics used to counter the offense, and the result of the play.

And that his the bar for candidates to successfully be hired to this team's coaching staff.

For starters, the team loves to encourage teamwork, and you can see that Coach Chile Davis is solidly on board that mentality.

But what makes him an ideal candidate? Well, I uncovered a treasure trove of great information about Coach Chili Davis from The Mercury's writer Tim Everson, who sprinkled in some great quotes about Coach Davis from Kansas State Head Coach Chris Klieman.

"I love Chili’s passion. Absolutely passionate guy about special teams. When we interviewed him, there was a lot of common terms that he had that I had and my beliefs kind of matched his beliefs and I thought it was interesting because Chili wanted to make sure he was going to a place where special teams was important."

Kansas St HC Chris Klieman

That right there was enough to give me complete understanding why he was hired by the Rams. But there is more to love about him.

I: Coach Davis understands what it takes to succeed on special teams

The belief that coaching more than makes up for sub-optimal talent is not an opinion that I share. Having said that, there is the other side of the spectrum that believes that any player who is talented will be successful regardless of schemes or coaches involved. True success is a harmony of many different factors. Perhaps one of the least appreciated and understood is how some coaches can place their players into a better position to succeed.

From what Kansas State HC Chris Klieman had to say about Coach Chili Davis, he believes that Coach Davis is such a coach:

"He has come up with a couple of new wrinkles and schemes and techniques that all of us coaches are excited. He’s got great energy and (I’m) excited that he’s joined our family."

Kansas St Chris Klieman

That is pretty special testimony.

Opportunity

The path to earning a place on any roster, college or professional, is to earn enough respect among coaches that the player is deemed vital to the overall success of the team. Whether it was simply bad optics, or truly lackluster play, the Rams special teams seemed to suffer mental lapses at the worst time in 2024. Whether it was blocking on kicking or punting units, or tackling on coverage units, the team seemed to lose focus at times.

From what i can tell about Coach Davis, that is unlikely to happen in 2024:

Just like Coach Eric Henderson reinforced the grind for defensive line candidates at the mean to earn playing time, Coach Davis seems to embrace those same fundamental principles.

He knows how to reach players

Not every coach can reach players. And a coach cannot be expected to reach every players. But some coaches know how to communicate and motivate players better than others. With the exodus of Coach Henderson and Coach Morris to new opportunities, there is certainly a need to find new voices who can communicate and motivate on the Rams coaching staff.

From his social media work alone, it seems that Coach Chili Davis takes pride in his ability to reach and motivate his players.

I am not saying that Coach Davis walks on water. In fact, I'm pretty sure that he doesn't. But he could be just what is needed for the Rams special teams in 2024. The group certainly needs to gain confidence, and Coach Davis seems to have an ample supply of that going for him.

The Rams have not officially confirmed hiring Coach Davis. But when they do, I truly do believe that they hired the right man for the job.