Rams DC Chris Shula just hit the jackpot like he never imagined

Since 2024, the Los Angeles Rams have not done much to help out defensive coordinator Chris Shula. By all accounts, the greatest investment in his defense before the 2026 offseason occurred two years ago in the draft.

It was then that general manager Les Snead used his first two picks to transplant Florida State stars Jared Verse and Braden Fiske onto LA's defense.

But everything has changed now.

After running an NFL defense on a college budget, the Rams are finally spending hard currency in the form of picks and salary cap dollars. And that means Shula has hit the jackpot.

Two seasons ago, the defense was trying to figure out what it wanted to be when it grew up. But being shredded twice by Saquon Barkley and the Eagles made the need for run stuffers painfully obvious. While the team did sign nose tackle Poona Ford and linebacker Nate Landman, neither player was expensive.

Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett certainly are with nine All-Pro selections and over $300 million in remaining contract value between them.

Chris Shula has the tools to optimize his defensive strategy

Throughout his first two seasons in Los Angeles, Shula has had to compensate for vulnerabilities and weaknesses by maneuvering his players into the best situations to succeed. But now, with the additions of cornerbacks McDuffie and Jaylen Watson and a premium edge rusher in Garrett, he is under less pressure to scheme outside the box for defensive success.

ESPN's Ben Solak said as much in an early reaction to the Garrett trade:

That is not to say that Shula will deploy a vanilla defense and expect to win the day. Quite the contrary. He has the personnel to explore a full range of schemes and strategies and not fear exposing his group to the shortcomings that allow offenses to move the chains and put up points.

Shula has synergy in this defense. Garrett and McDuffie will contribute to the pass defense in 2026 what Poona Ford and Nate Landman added to the run defense in 2025. Rather than only trying to play to individual strengths while masking weaknesses, Shula can lean on this new group's sheer playmaking talent when he needs to.

Did he hit the jackpot? While Shula didn't place a wager, it certainly seems that he has won the right to lead one of the NFL's most talented defenses

Rams fans are eager to see what he can do with all that horsepower.

As always, thanks for reading.

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