The Los Angeles Rams have moved on from Wade Phillips, opting not to retain the defensive coordinator for the 2020 season. It’s a somewhat surprising move, but considering his contract was expiring anyway, it doesn’t come as a complete stunner.
With Phillips out, the Rams now must find his replacement. Other teams across the NFL are also assembling their coaching staffs and looking for replacements of their own, so Los Angeles will need to act fast to get the guy it wants.
Or, the Rams could simply promote from within and elevate a current coach on the staff. Two coaches on McVay’s staff appear to be the lead candidates to replace Phillips, but five other outside coaches could be in the mix, too.
Here are the top seven candidates to become the Rams’ next defensive coordinator.
Joe Barry, Rams LBs coach
Barry should be considered one of the frontrunners for the vacancy, given his history with Sean McVay. He worked with McVay in Washington as the defensive coordinator in 2015 and 2016, following the young head coach to Los Angeles as the Rams’ linebackers coach.
Barry also serves as the assistant head coach, which gives him a leg-up on the rest of the competition. He’s helped develop Cory Littleton into one of the best linebackers in football, worked with Dante Fowler Jr. and the Rams’ other young pass rushers and oversaw a Redskins defense that featured Ryan Kerrigan at outside linebacker.
He’s an obvious candidate for the job.