TheLos Angeles Rams lost Defensive Coordinator Brandon Staley to become the Head Coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. The team lost Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris to become the Head Coach of the Atlanta Falcons. So, it only falls to reason that the Rams newest defensive coordinator, DC Chris Shula, will be poached at the end of the 2025 NFL season, right? Well, perhaps not.
The Rams have historically had to fill multiple coaching staff vacancies each year because other NFL teams, eager to replicate the Rams continued success, are eager to poach a coordinator or coach from the Rams and graft that coach into their own football organization.
Ironically, no Rams coordinator was lured off to another NFL team in the offseason. Perhaps most surprising is the fact that the grandson of NFL legendary HC Don Shula, Chris Shula, was not poached.
The Rams second-year defensive coordinator was given absolutely no respect in a recent NFL ranking ofdefensive coordinators by Pro Football Network's Jacob Infante. In his article, Infante spit-balled Coach Shula as the 26th-ranked defensive coordinator. At the time, I suspected the article to be more about rage-baiting for clicks than an objective assessment of talent.
But perhaps I reacted too quickly.
Bleacher Reports' writer Moe Moton published an article that identifies the8 NFL Coordinatorswho are most likely to land a head coaching job at the end of this season. Believe it or not, Rams DC Chris Shula was not listed among them. His article identified five NFL defensive coordinators and three NFL offensive coordinators. And no Rams coordinator was listed among them.
Chris Shula is better than the NFL realizes
Of course, the casual NFL writers take to the internet at this time of year. Without real football going on, their speculative guesswork can fill the dishes of NFL fans starving for news. But when there is no real football taking place, articles tend to focus on what was or what will be. Every NFL team website has elements of articles that address the past or the future. But the feet start to leave the floor when the time invested to research articles is spent on box scores or name recognition.
I'm not suggesting that Rams DC Chris Shula will automatically be given an offer to become an NFL head coach in 2026, but he certainly could. Keep in mind that he led the cheapest defense in the NFL into the postseason. Once the Rams got there, they recorded 16 quarterback sacks, allowed net average passing yards to fall in at 114 passing yards per game. and allowed an average of just 18.5 points per game.
That's pretty good for a defense that cost less than any other NFL defense to step onto the football field last season. So there are reasons to be quite optimistic in 2025. And as the Rams defense proves to all of the doubters and nay-sayers that they are much improved and capable in the second season of Shula's defense, ihis name will be whispered among vacated head coaching roles.
It's not even training camp, but Rams fans can breathe a sigh of relief over the though of losing another defensive coordinator. At least, until this Rams defense starts to make its move.
So pack up those worries in your old kit-bag and smile, smile, smile. Worries about losing DC Chris Shula are months away. For now, he has a defense to lead into an NFL's Top-5 ranking.
As always, thanks for reading.
Be sure to check out recent Rams roster articles