The ideal LA Rams defensive coordinator candidate list keeps on growing

Ravens DB Coach Dennard Wilson

If you want to discuss best in slot candidates for the LA Rams next defensive coordinator, you have to consider Baltimore Ravens DB Coach Dennard Wilson. Rising from the ranks of NFL Scout with the New York Jets in 2008, he joined St. Louis Rams HC Jeff Fisher's coaching staff as Defensive Quality Control Coach in 2012.

He remained with Fisher and the Rams until Fisher was fired in 2016. He joined the coaching staff of the New York Jets coaching staff in 2017, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021, and finally the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. Now, he is one of the hottest candidates for defensive coordinator, and is being interviewed by several teams:

So what make Wilson so appealing?

Well, in two consecutive seasons, for two different NFL teams, DB Coach Dennard Wilson has led his team's secondary to become the one of the best passing defenses in the NFL. That is the type of track record that gets you on the radar scope.

The LA Rams have invested quite a bit into their coaching staff that has worked with defensive backs in the past, as both Assistant HC Jimmy Lake and DB Coach Aubrey Pleasant were added to the Rams coaching staff in 2023. But it's clear that the Rams are not 'there' just yet, as the Rams young secondary ended the 2023 NFL season as the 19th-ranked pass defense in the NFL.

Wilson has a staunch reputation of getting things done quickly. That could be exactly what the Rams pass defense needs to place among the Top-5 secondaries of 2024.