Rams' Chris Shula just inked his name on NFL head-coaching candidates list

It's almost heresy to suggest that losing to the Los Angeles Rams by a stunning score of 17-3 has suddenly placed Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh on the hot seat. But that's what ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell is suggesting in his most recent article.

Well, sort of suggesting. Barnwell names Harbaugh among his coaches and players on the hot seat, and it's been building in Baltimore from fans' frustrations for some time.

This is not about one loss. It's not even about a 1-5 start. This is about a Baltimore team that has squandered the offensive potential of quarterback Lamar Jackson with little to show for it. Despite playing in his eighth season and tallying four Pro Bowls and three All-Pro efforts, Jackson has yet to win a Super Bowl ring. His NFL career has yielded a phenomenal record of 71-27. Yet his postseason record is just 3-5.

That is the type of dysfunctional success that wears out the welcome for head coaches, and it appears that Harbaugh is suffering from that cold shoulder in 2026.

Furthermore, the rumblings from Ravens fans inspired Sports Illustrated author Brock Vierra to suggest the Week 6 clash between Baltimore and the Los Angeles Rams was an audition for defensive coordinator Chris Shula for a potential vacancy for the Ravens' head-coaching position.

Chris Shula just inked his name to the short list of head-coaching candidates

The truth of the matter is that some experts projected Harbaugh to be on the hot seat as soon as the team started to spiral downwards this season. And the most recent list from Barnwell confirms that to be the case. Still, it's a bit naive to believe that one bad season means the end of Harbaugh's tenure.

LA fans face the growing likelihood that Shula is on his way to becoming an NFL head coach. When you factor in how potent he is shaping this Aaron Donald-less defense in just his second season, you start to get the sense of why Shula is acending.

Perhaps another key indicator was how easily Shula faced the music after a poor defensive showing against the San Francisco 49ers. But his defense is ninth in yards allowed per game, and third in points per game. It's ninth in passing yards per game and 15th in rushing yards per game. Shula has his group ranked fourth in quarterback sacks, 13th in interceptions, and tied for second place in takeaways after six games.

At the moment, there are no All-Pros on the defense. In fact, almost all starters have been assembled since 2023. And the coordinator is getting all of that from the least expensive defense in the NFL in 2025. The Pittsburgh Steelers are spending over $163 million on their defense, as an example, while Los Angeles is spending just over a third of that amount, $54.9 million.

Enjoy him while you can, Rams fans. If Shula didn't impress the Ravens' top brass with a smothering defensive performance in Week 6, he certainly caught the attention of multiple teams.

And that means that his time in the Horns may be coming to a faster conclusion than many hoped.

As always, thanks for reading.

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