Will LA Rams Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellows solve the coaching dilemma?

One of my more prominent concerns for the LA Rams 2023 OTAs and training camp was based on the simple fact that the numbers simply did not add up. No matter how I held the information up to the light from various angles, I arrived at the same conclusion. The LA Rams simply have too few veteran players and too few coaches on their staff to effectively coach up too many rookie prospects.

The problem with that scenario is that the Rams cannot hire a new wave of coaches to help out with so many new faces. So the team did the next best thing, which is? The LA Rams added six Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching fellows for their offseason programming. For now, that ought to even out the player to coach ratio a bit:

So who are these new additions? Here's a quick summary:

Rams new coaching fellows

Daren Bates is a 5-foot-11 225-pound linebacker who enjoyed a nine-year career in the NFL, three of which were playing for the St. Louis Rams. While occasionally competing on defense, Bates is a special team specialist and was all over the football field making tackles on special teams.

Donte Deayon is a former LA Rams defensive back. Standing 5-foot-9 and weighing 159 pounds, Deayon was a member of the LA Rams team that won Super Bowl LVI. After trying the NFL Free Agency market in 2022, to no success, he announced his retirement earlier this season. It seems that the NFL is not quite done with him, as he will have a chance to work with the LA Rams' young secondary.

Chuckie Keeton is a former quarterback from Utah State, who has a long and storied career after college football. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 210 pounds, Keeton was a dual-threat quarterback who is a bit of a legend for Utah State. He was hired as the RB coach for Utah State from 2021 through 2022. Now he will have a chance to work with RB Coach Ron Gould in preparing LA Rams running backs for a grueling 2023 NFL season.

Vontrell King-Williams is a 6-foot-1 325-pound former defensive lineman who played for the University of Texas as San Antonio (UTSA). Since that time, he has been building his coaching resume with a series of roles that have culminated with being an Assitant Defensive Line Coach for Eastern Michigan. Now, he will assist in coaching teammates of NFL great Aaron Donald.

Corey Liuget is a 6-foot-2 300-pound former defensive lineman for the LA Chargers. He had a long and successful 10-year career in the NFL. He crossed paths with LA Rams DL Coach Eric Henderson in 2017-18 when Coach Henny was the assistant DL Coach for the Chargers.

Kyle Washington is a former quarterback from San Angelo State who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 225 pounds. He was also a dual-threat quarterback who could pile up the yards with his passes and his runs.

I love this concept. The Rams get six new members to help their coaching staff to run drills and help evaluate talent, and the six coaching fellows gain invaluable experience that will help to propel their own coaching careers. You can learn more about this innovative approach to solving the Rams coaching crunch from the LA Rams official website. I really like this move.